One step forwards ten steps back
by Poochell
Summary: "He shoved his hands down his pockets and strode down the streets, wondering just where exactly in his life he had decided to fuck himself up the ass." life is hard when you've got no idea how to be an adult. AU slice of life fic.
1. Intro

Authors note; So, this is my first actual fanatic. I wasn't aiming for it to be a master piece but rather a story that will be as much fun to read as it was to write. Please do leave reviews and critique!

also, I do not own Naruto, yada-yada-etc.

I forgot but here is a quick warning; mature content, drugs use, alcohol use and general idiocy but you'll find that in most of my fics.

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"That sounds awful..." The mumbled words were uttered in a monotone manner and accompanied by a soft awkward pat on the back. The hand couldn't be anymore hesitant if Naruto was a porcupine.

"It's not just awful!" Naruto whined loudly as he removed his head from a pillow he had snatched from Gaara's bed before the redhead could silently and weakly object. "I mean, she is really nice and she deserves so much better, but it's just not working for me! And oh god I'm pretty sure Sakura will punch a new dent in my head!" He continued to cry out loudly. "This is going to affect the entire group, you have no idea just how awkward it will be to face them!"

Gaara made a bit of a face, the ghost of a frown plaguing his forehead upon hearing that. "Uhm... Yeah," he softly said in lack of better words. He guessed that having an insomnia and personality disorder induced violent outburst and nearly killing three people wasn't nearly as bad as a break up within a group of friends.

"God! Fuck! Gaara! What should I do?!" The blond continued, too swept up in his own melo drama to realise that Gaara was trying to answer his rhetorical question.

Gaara's eyes darted across the room, looking for answers before he shrugged a little.

With a loud whine Naruto looked up from the pillow, awaiting an answer only to realise that maybe Gaara wasn't the best person to ask that particular question. "Oh never mind," he sighed and rubbed his temples before felt the slight awkward pat on his back once more. It was that exact moment that he realised that most of his friends sucked for the most part and he actually had to remind himself just exactly why he came to Gaara for this.

Clearly he couldn't go to Sakura, she wouldn't let him hear the end of it. Sasuke was too much of a self obsessed prick to be any help. Lee? No, aside from that awesome fashion sense, the last thing Naruto wanted at this moment was that upbeat blabbering about the power of youth. He hadn't felt like youth in a particular while now, considering he was reaching his late twenties. Kiba and Shikamaru weren't exactly prize options either considering neither would care enough to be of any help. He wasn't really close enough with any of the others to really confide in them. So the redheaded socially detached outcast it became. At least Gaara would try and not directly slam the door on him before a friendly 'go fuck yourself.'

"I don't really know, Naruto," Gaara finally sighed as he retreated his hand again and places it back upon his lap where it joined his other hand. "I could go ask Temari, or Kankuro," he shrugged but Naruto just waved him off.

"Nah, it's fine, I'll find something," he sighed and slumped.

"Do you want to go out for food?"

Naruto shrugged a little. "I don't know, in all honesty I didn't really feel like going outside, nor do I have money," Naruto rolled his eyes.

"I'll pay..." Gaara softly offered.

Before the last word was even able to exit the redhead's mouth, Naruto looked up; a twinkle in his eyes. "Thank you so much! I love you man!" He yelled, practically throwing himself at the man besides him.

Gaara gasped and stared at the wall like a deer in headlights when he felt the larger body press up against him. A faint blush painted his white face and a weak smile vaguely tugged the corners of his mouth. "Don't mention it," he softly said, not sure if he wanted to push the other man away or wrap his arms around him. Finally he managed to move his arms from besides his body to ghost over Naruto's back when the man ripped himself loose again, leaving the redhead awkwardly with his arms still in a vague hugging position. With a soft 'oh' he dropped his arms again and stood up instead. "Let me just check my cash," he mumbled, quickly turning away, looking through the drawers like he was lost in his own room.

"Yeah, sure," Naruto replied a little absently as he looked at his phone and contemplated turning it off. "Come to think about it, it's almost seven, don't you have to pop your pills?" Naruto said bluntly as he shoved his phone back into his pocket.

The redhead blinked a little at Naruto's question, actually amazed that the man with the attention spawn of a puppy half of the time managed to remember what time he took his medication. On the other hand, the amazed and even somewhat disturbed expression that Naruto wore upon seeing the amount of pills he chucked down just to keep his mood in balance would still break a small chuckle from him. "Actually I'm trying to get off them." Gaara finally said as he found his wallet and silently counted the money in it.

A small frown tied blonde brows together. "Are you sure that's a good idea?" Naruto asked, concern dripping from his words. "I mean... Like.." He scratched the back of his head. "What if you go batshit again?" The blonde had to put bluntly.

Gaara shrugged. "I'll probably be institutionalised again and put back on my meds," he calmly answered and didn't seem very fazed by the potential threat that lingered. "But I want to try something else since the antidepressants and anti-psychoses just make me feel so..." He paused and looked for a way to properly put his thoughts. "Hollow.." He finally said, nodding slowly to his own conclusion.

"So, what are you going to do?" Naruto squinted a little.

"Pot," Gaara answered as he picked up a pair of shoes from his closet. The redhead blinked a little curiously when he turned around and was met by a mouth open far enough to land a plane on the blond's tongue. That however was slowly replaced by a grin that ran from one ear to the other, making Gaara swallow softly and inch back a little. "What?" He softly questioned.

"Do you have some on you now?"

"I have some in my room, yes,"

"Who's your dealer?"

"Kankuro supplies me, it was his idea. I don't know where he gets it from though," the redhead played with his sleeves a little uncomfortably.

"You know that as a friend, I should probably test it for you, right?" Naruto continued through the same grin.

Teal eyes moved around the room, darting from one side to the other. "You're making that up," Gaara finally concluded after a long moment of silence. "But if it'll make you feel better I guess I don't mind sharing,"

"See! This is why I went to you man! You don't make shit overly complicated!" Naruto grinned deviously as he quickly stood up.

"Thanks?" Gaara said through a bit of a questionable smile. From his nightstand he took the plastic box with pills for every day of the week and opened it accordingly. Without the aid of water he laid a total of four tablets upon his tongue and swallowed them one by one. "Are you ready?" He asked as he put the box away and picked up his shoes and jacket. Quickly Naruto nodded in reply and jumped up and with a bit of a skip in his step he followed the redhead to the front door.

The walk from the apartment that Gaara and Kankuro shared to the little Japanese restaurant that Naruto so fondly picked every time they went out for dinner was not really different from how it usually went. Naruto did most of the talking, or in this case more whining about how he loved Hinata, yet he didn't. Gaara didn't quite follow but could to a certain extent understand where his friend came from. They sat at their usual table and even a big bowl of his favourite noodles on Gaara's bill couldn't make him shut up.

Naruto stiffened however when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and quickly took it out, not bothering to read the caller ID when he answered.

"Hello? Naruto here," he said, his voice echoing through the empty streets.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?! You first degree cockhead!" Both men jumped a little at the scream of Neji's voice through the tiny speakers. Quickly Naruto pulled the phone away from his ear as the stream of name calling and psycho analysing continued. In the back he could still hear Hinata's soft voice pleading for Neji's to stop, but all was in vain.

"Wow, wow, wow, Neji..." Naruto tried to calm the man at the other end of the line down but when the torrent of condescending remarks didn't stop it took the blond no less than five whole seconds to lose his temper.

"You know what Neji?! You go stick your cock in her if you love he so much!" He screamed before practically slamming his thumb down in the little red button.

"Better?" Gaara softly asked, arching a non existing brow.

With a grunt the blond shoved his phone back in his pocket. "No," he huffed, and crossed his arms over his chest.

Silently Gaara reached out, resting his hand upon Naruto's shoulder with the slightest hint of hesitation in his movement. Not a word was uttered and instead he just watched his worked up friend try to calm himself down by taking deep breaths.

The eyes that Naruto had closed opened with a final deep breath and slowly he turned to Gaara, smiling wryly. "Would you mind if I stayed at your place tonight? Y'know, just in case Neji decides to burn down my apartment," he joked half heartedly.

A faint smile ghosted over Gaara's lips and slowly he nodded. "Of course, you're always welcome," he mumbled, this time a bit more audible.

"Thanks," Naruto wrapped an arm around the shorter man, pulling him a little closer and with little to no struggle, Gaara moved.

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thank you everyone that took the effort to read!


	2. Chapter one and so it begins

So! Still kind of dicking around with the options and I thought I had uploaded the betaread version, but turns out I didn't. Anyhow, I'm slowly getting the hang of all of this, thanks for sticking with me nevertheless and love from me!

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Gaara saw his brothers advise of using only a little fly out of the window the moment Naruto got his hands on the bag. Like a pro Naruto handled the scissors as he started cutting up the herbs and using one of Gaara's cigarette to mix it.

"I like the shape of bigbongs," Naruto uttered in a suffocates manner as he had finally inhaled the last few remains of what rested in the bong.

Gaara, whom had been blowing out his own smoke in rings like a pro looked at his blond friend, arching a non existing eyebrow. "But they're all pretty much the same shape," he calmly said, his voice in an actual comfortable speaking volume rather than his usual mumbling. His half lidded eyes were the same colour as his hair and with his usual non expression he stared at the wall.

"Yeeaaaahhhh..." Naruto moaned, cocking his head back on the mattress they were sitting up against. "But big ones you don't have to constantly hold up, y'can just rest then between your legs on the ground," he sighed, opening his equally red eyes to stare at the ceiling.

"But than it's not a shape thing," Gaara dully said, cocking his head back as well and slowly let his hands run from his chest, to his legs, to the floor and back again. He could get use to the funny feeling that left his head spinning in a leisure phase. "God, I'm hungry again," the redhead whined, holding his stomach instead.

A sheepish grin spread over Naruto's lips as he turned to the sound of those words. "Come on, lets raid the fridge!" He grinned in the same goofy manner and with a slight wobble he finally stood up.

Gaara took the hand that was held out in front if him and let the blond pull him up, which had them both almost tumble over their own weight. With sheepish giggles, the both of the moved into the small kitchen. When he finally managed to claw open the fridge the redhead held on to what ever he could as he leaned into the fridge. Naruto was quick to join, nearly slumping on top of the smaller man as scanned the content of their depressingly empty fridge. Gaara however stopped breathing for a moment when he felt the blond press up against him and shift around.

"Holy shit!"

Gaara nearly choked on his own saliva when the other man decided to dive deeper into the fridge, effectively grinding up against him before he moved away again. Slowly the redhead exhaled and closed the fridge to stand up straight for a moment. He looked down to the kitchen floor only to see Naruto on the kitchen floor spreading browny over his face. On his lap rested a cold plate with five more.

"The browny fairy exists!" Naruto exclaimed through pieced of half digested chocolate cake.

Gaara was quick to join and decide to take one himself. With a small giggle in his breath he started eating what at the moment seemed like a piece of heaven. A silence fell between the two. Gaara could occasionally notice Naruto look at him from the corner of his eyes. "What?" He finally asked after he caught the blond peeking at him for the so many-th time.

"So...like..." Naruto started as he had finally swallowed down all but his fingers. "We've been friends for a long time now," he frowned faintly and counted on his fingers; "like thirteen years," there was a slight amount of amazement laced into his words at his findings.

"Yeah..." Gaara frowned and wondered where Naruto was going to take this.

"do you have a secrec girlfriend?" He finally spilled and gained a dumbfound look as he did so.

Gaara frowned a little before he shook his head. "Nah," he shrugged, stuffing the last bit of his own browny into his mouth.

"Ever had one?"

"Nope," the reply was a mouthful.

"Do you even have a sexuality?" Naruto asked, genuine curiosity laying upon his tongue.

Gaara snorted a little. "Yeah," he started before falling silent again, briefly looking for the right words. "Gay as the day is long, that's what Kankuro likes to call it," he came out to his friend with a small amused smile.

Naruto just stared at his friend for a while plucking at his chin like he was trying to answer the question to life. "Does that mean your straight during the night? Or like with the full moon, you suddenly feel the urge to wank to a playboy?" He asked half jokingly.

With a small curious expression the redhead looked to Naruto, wondering what would come out next. When he finally got his comment, Gaara couldn't help but snort loudly in laughter. "Yeah, I just kind of turn into this beefy, beer chugging, wife beating piece of sport loving man ass, rather than..."

"Your usual twinky looking self?" Naruto finished with an arched brow.

"Twink?" Gaara frowned a little looking himself up and down.

"Face it," Naruto said dryly.

Gaara didn't argue and shrugged instead. "But, no, gay twenty-four/seven, even during full moons," he chuckled faintly.

"Pity, I wanted to see the were-straight man," he snorted softly, picking up an other browny. "So, are you still a virgin?" Naruto asked through another mouthful of browny.

"Yes," Gaara replied almost instantly, not really seeing why it mattered.

"Ever kissed?"

"My siblings,"

Naruto made a face, "I hope we're not talking about the same kissing here," he frowned sticking his tongue out.

"Don't think we are," Gaara hummed before looking up to the ceiling. "But no, never kissed," he finally replied.

With slight fascination the blond looked to his friend and stood up once more with a slight struggle. He put the plate back into the fridge while Gaara this time got up himself.

"Is it that interesting?" Gaara asked, cocking a brow.

"I just never met a twenty-five year old this innocent," Naruto said and he folded his hands behind his head. "You must wank like crazy," he finally concluded out loud as the both of them slipped back into Gaara's freakishly neat room.

"Actually the medication kind of kills my libido," the redhead sighed, another reason why he just wanted off. "But yes, even animals masturbate, of course I do it too," Gaara said as he dropped down on the bed.

"Aren't you curious though?" Naruto asked and he watched the other man stretch out over the mattress. In the back of his mind he wondered what Gaara would look like while masturbating, how different that must've been from his usual non-expression. Instead it would be wrapped up in pleasure, probably even have some colour on his sickly pale skin. Would he be silent or a screamer? Silent, definitely.

"Very," Gaara said softly and closed his eyes, not paying attention to the way that Naruto was staring at him. "But I don't really know how to get around all that stuff anyway," he sighed while his fingers trailed over his slightly exposed stomach. It was nice to feel everything so clearly even though his head was kind of hazy. "I don't think any one that knows me is exactly jumping with joy and anticipation to get into my pants, mostly because most of the people that know me are either family, case workers or people that know me from when I was younger,"

"I would,"

Gaara opened his eyes, blinking a little before he turned his face toward the blond man, every hint of emotions washed clean from his expression aside from the thick blush that slowly gave his face the same colour as his hair. His heart was beating loudly in his rib cage and with a soft 'oh', he swallowed away some saliva that lingered in his throat. Was that a hint?

"I mean yeah, you're not bad to look at and aside from being a little dull, kinda sweet in your own way," Naruto nodded at his own findings. He had stopped being angry or afraid of Gaara years ago when it was explained to him that the boy had a voice in his head, telling him to do all those terrible things.

"If you say so," Gaara softly mumbled and closed his eyes again when he felt the weight of the bed shift under a second body. An awkward silence fell between the two until Naruto decided to open his mouth.

"Would you li-"

"Yes,"

The answer was given before the question was even finished, but to be fair, at that point Gaara didn't care what the question was. Anything would do really.

A little taken aback by the straight forwardness of the answer, Naruto nodded and sat up. "It'll be easier if you sit up as well," the blond softly said, wondering when their roles had decided to switch personalities.

Slowly Gaara sat up, moving his legs underneath his body and awkwardly felt his eyes dart around the room. Just to make sure he had an quick way out if needed.

"Alright, cock you head a little to the side," Naruto instructed and The redhead tilted his head barely a single degree. "Alright, a bit more," he sighed and took a hold of his friends head, pushing it into the right angle. "I guess you can close your eyes if you want too..." Naruto shrugged and so Gaara did, which only gave the man a bit of a stupid look. Slowly Naruto leaned in, pressing their lips together in a still soft and innocent manner. The blond could feel Gaara's sharp intake of breath and his body freezing up a little before finally relaxing. It was that moment that Naruto decided to run his tongue over the redhead's lips, causing him to flinch once more before carefully opening his mouth to the foreign feeling and let the other man explore his mouth. Naruto broke the kiss again and gave his friend a weak smile.

"You can move your tongue, y'know," he said, making Gaara just blink a few times before nodding in an almost confident manner. This time around he was however met by the motion that could put a washing machine to shame.

Again Naruto broke away, leaving Gaara to stare a little stupidly at him and not just because he had his tongue still resting upon his lower lip. "Okay, new plan," The blond sighed, wiping his mouth clean with the back of his hand. "Just...follow my lead," he tried to explain the best he could. Instead he took Gaara's face this time and brought it closer, kissing him slowly and softly with the roughness that only men had imbedded in their touch.

It took Gaara a moment, mostly thrown of guard by the way that his loud blond friend decided to hold his face, but not long after he found himself replying the motion. His arms slowly started to move from besides his body, where they once limply hang to ghost around Naruto's waist. Finally, he however decided to wrap them around the other man, pulling him closer. He shivered when he felt Naruto's hands move around his waist as well, slowly pulling the redhead into his lap. With a large gasp for air, Gaara broke the kiss, panting softly as he wiped his mouth clean with the back of his hand, still being able to taste Naruto on his tongue.

"Was that better?" He softly asked as he looked from his lap to the blond.

Naruto grinned broadly and nodded enthusiastically. "Much," he finally said before brushing a strand of hair out of the redhead's face. "Also, breath through your nose," he smiled weakly as he felt Gaara grab his shoulders and move closer once more.

He pulled his blond friend into an other kiss, this time being a little more forwards now that he had finally gotten the hang of it. Like told the redhead breathed through his nose. The whole sensation just seemed strange, when ever they broke, Gaara wasn't sure just how fast he was grabbing Naruto to pull him back but once their mouths clashed once more and tongues twisted around each other with increasingly more passion, he wasn't quite sure how he felt about it yet. He had at this point wrapped his legs around the blond's waist and his arms around his neck all the while Naruto had his hands upon his hips. Gaara rolled his hips when he felt the hand brush over his ass and his trousers grew a little tighter.

"I'm going to get hard if we continue this," the redhead softly commented as he with much trouble finally managed to rip himself loose from the other man. The cheekiest of grins appeared over Naruto's face, sending shivers down the redhead's spine. "I guess you don't mind then?" Gaara softly said.

Naruto nodded adamantly. "Not really no," if anything, Naruto had been curious about whether it not that actually could happen. Without an other word the blond pulled Gaara back into an other rough kiss and groaned softly when he felt nails dig into his skin through the fabric of his shirt and the thigh around his waist tighten their grip for a split second. Quickly the body on his lap relaxed again and this time Naruto decided to grind his hips up into the other man. Again Gaara tensed, moaning softly in the kiss. The blond used his grip on his friends hips to move them slightly until they started moving on their own accord in a steady rhythm.

The slight hesitation Gaara's hips decided to stutter with was gone completely and now he was grinding down on a large bulge that matched his own. With another soft breathy moan he pulled away from Naruto's hot mouth and instead he buried his face in the blond's neck. A shiver shook his body once more when he felt moist, swollen lips press soft kisses and little bites into his neck, staining the pale skin with small red marks. Gaara hummed softly, wondering where else that mouth would go. Softly he started nipping at Naruto's neck while one of his hands slid into the messy blond hair. The grinding however became tedious and torturous, he wanted more. His silent wish was granted when hands move to the front of his pants. Clumsy hands picked a fight with the zipper and buttons of Gaara's jeans before he managed to undo them. Naruto pulled them down and the redhead gasped as his erection sprang up. Gaara jerked up when he felt hands move to his ass and quickly he stopped them. He grabbed the tan wrists and pulled them back to his hipbones.

"Not yet..." He simply said and looked at Naruto, blushing like a blooming rose while staring at him with nothing less than pure and absolute want. What he got in reply was a simple nod and hands that moved to his throbbing erection instead.

"Is this okay?" He asked as his fingers loosely wrapped around the pale prick.

Gaara softly hummed and nodded. Not long after however followed a soft breathy moan when the hand finally decided to properly wrap around his sex and pumped a steady rhythm. Gaara closed his eyes, as he pushed his face into Naruto's neck, inhaling the scent that the other man carried with him. Soft pants started to grow heavy and he felt glued to his spot in Naruto's lap. Drowning in the sensation of having his friend's large hand playing with his cock and send jolts of pleasure to his lower abdomen. He groaned a little in objection when he felt the hand stop and move away but got scared when Naruto started pushing him off his lap. Without much of a struggle Gaara moved and instead just looked at the blond with a slight distressed look in his eyes. Before he however could say something Naruto smiled softly at him before he sat up and started undoing his own pants. Thickly the redhead swallowed when he saw the large erection flop out if the clothes in the least graceful way imaginable. Gaara swallowed, not able to look away from the tan erection that proudly stared back at him.

"C'mere," Naruto softly said as he held out an arm for the redhead.

With his pants still around his waist, Gaara shuffled closer and pressed himself into the blond's chest. He felt a arm wrap around him while the other took one of his instead, guiding it down to Naruto's cock. Gaara didn't need much more motivation and quickly he latched on to the blond's erection. His finger tips brushed over the soft skin and his heart started beating his his throat again as he mapped every single crook, vein and fold in the skin when he started to move his hand. He pressed his forehead against his friend's shoulder and stared down at the sight of him holding Naruto and vise verse. From above him he heard Naruto pant into his hair as they started to speed up the rhythms. Hands jerked rhythmically and hips thrusts desperately.

"Naruto...I'm close.." Gaara softly moaned out into the fabric of his friend's shirt and held on to him tightly, afraid that the wonderful feeling might stop if he let go. It wasn't long after that, that the redhead tensed, his toes curled up in his socks and his back arched. With a soft whimper emptied himself on Naruto's shirt before he quickly swatted the hand away, not being able to deal with more stimulation.

Not much later the blonde too came on Gaara's black shirt. Panting heavily the two of them slumped against each other. "God...fuck..bathroom," The blond softly panted out. The musk of sex hang around the both of them and their clothing was glued to their skin with sweat. Without any words the both of them moved away from each other. Quickly Naruto ran to the bathroom. He didn't bother locked the door behind him, and the moment he pressed the button to flush, Gaara walked in.

"I have a towel for you of you want a shower," he said, closing the door behind him.

Naruto smiled and shook his head a little. "Nah, that's fine, I just wanna go to sleep man," he started and zipped up his pants. Gaara was already wearing a clean shirt and aside from the few white stains on black jeans and the thick smell of sex that lingered on his skin it was hard to see that not a few minutes ago he was jerking his hips in Naruto's hand like his very life depended on it. Naruto leaned down to press a soft kiss again the corner of Gaara's mouth before slipping out of the bathroom.

Gaara blinked a little, he blushed faintly when he felt lips press against his skin and faint smile tugged his lips. When he heard the door fall back into the lock again, Gaara got out of his clothing and turned on the shower to a comfortable temperature. It felt like a shame almost, to wash off the scent that Naruto had rubbed off on him. At the same time however he was happy to be able to wash off the muck off his skin as well. His own hand ran over all the spots that Naruto had touched, a tingle still running down his skin when he thought about it. Fingertip moved from his bottom lip to his neck where small bites and hikeys stained his white skin. By the time he was done in the bathroom and back into his own Naruto, wearing nothing but his boxers, laid fanned out across his bed. A small chuckle escaped him over the sight of it before he too slipped between the covers and curled up against the blond.

By the time he woke up the next morning, Gaara noticed his room was empty. This was a first, Naruto waking up before him. The redhead got up, yawning as he got out of bed. The faint smell of sex had wafted out if the room by this time around and with a tired look upon his face he moved into the kitchen where he was met by the agonised moan.

"Good morning, Kankuro," he said as he took a seat next to the man that reeked of alcohol, vomit, a slight amount of regret and day old dried up sweat.

In reply he just gained an other agonised moan as he covered his head with his hands.

"Busy night?" Gaara more commented than asked before looking over to the coffee machine and decided he'd have himself a cup. The chair screeched over the floor when he pushed it back to get up and he gained a snarl from Kankuro again.

"Goddamnit! Gaara!" He growled over his shoulder before he held his head again. "And I'd like some coffee too," he said in a sighing manner and looked back to the wood underneath him.

Gaara, indifferent to his brothers growling just pushed the button of an old espresso machine and put the pads in their place before setting two cups underneath the soon to be stream of coffee. "Did you see Naruto?" The redhead questioned as he placed two cups of coffee on the table and sat down again.

Kankuro shrugged above his mug. "Briefly," he shortly answered before he moved his hands out of his hair and around the mug instead. "The kid practically ran out of the place," he paused for a moment remembering the distressed look that Naruto wore as he left. "Did you scare him away or what?" He arched a brow before he slurped up his coffee.

Gaara hummed a little. "Not that I know of," he replied before looking to the clock.

The brunet hummed a little in his mug before shrugging, "maybe he had something to do," Kankuro tried with the least amount of effort.

Gaara shrugged in lack of a better reply. "Can I have one of your cigarettes?" He asked after a brief silence. The only thing he picked up in a mental institution, if you weren't a smoker already, you'd come out as one.

Kankuro groaned a little before he fished a beat up pack of out his pocket and laid it on the table along with a lighter. "Go nuts," he sighed while he dismissively waved his hand. After that both went their own way, Kankuro decided to lock himself in his room to continue to dwell in the self-pity of his hangover while Gaara had decided to do get dressed, do some groceries but first he wanted to send his blond friend a text. A bit blankly he stared at his phone, wondering what to tell Naruto. His face heated up at the memory of what happened the night before and a faint smile tugged his lips. Quickly he started typing and read the simple short message through a few more times before hitting send.

 **To: Naruto Uzumaki**

 _You left early, I hope that everything is still alright._

Absently he looked to his phone every now and then, wondering if he would get word of Naruto soon. Throughout his trip to the grocery store and back he didn't get a reply. It was around eight o'clock in the evening that he however finally got a reply.

 **From: Naruto Uzumaki**

 _Of course, we're still friends! I just had to go to do some things, nothing special but I needed to get up pretty early. So yes, everything is peachy :))))))))))_

Gaara frowned a little at the text and briefly wondered if maybe things weren't as fine as Naruto was so adamantly trying to convince him off. It wasn't, he finally concluded and wondered what to do. Kankuro probably knew. With his phone still in his hands he got up and slipped out of his own room. Three simple knocked echoed through the hallway before he finally opened his brothers bedroom door.

Kankuro sat on the beat up couch that stood against his bed in the black, cat eared onesy. It was Temari's idea of a funny Christmas gift. His eyes briefly wondered off to Gaara as his little brother slipped inside but his the phone call that he had been holding for the last fifteen minutes continued nonetheless.

"Nah man she's ju-" he stopped mid sentence when he felt the couch squeak a little in complaint over the extra weight and the smaller body awkwardly slump against his side. Slowly he turned his face to look over at the non expression his little brother was still wearing.

"Hey...uhm, I'm going to call you back later," he said before nodded a few times and finally hung up. "Did something happen?" He finally asked after a long and awkward silence of him staring at his younger sibling while Gaara stared at the wall.

Gaara's eyes met the floor. "I think I messed something up between Naruto and I," he softly said.

Kankuro, not entirely sure what to do with the smaller body pressed up against him shrugged a little uncomfortably. "What makes you think so?" He asked through a smile that was halfway between nervous and confused. The loud blond always seemed so down with Gaara's somewhat awkward social interaction.

"He called me a friend," Gaara finally sighed.

With a frown Kankuro stared a little dumbfounded at the other and wondered why on earth that was a bad thing.


	3. Chapter two M is for mistake

Naruto laid upon his bed, a pillow covering his face and the gloom of mild self hatred lingered in the dark room. What on earth had he done? He could never face either Hinata or Gaara ever again. He'd have to dye his hair, grow a moustache, get glasses, assume a fake name and start over again in an Eastern European country, yes that would do! The moment that grand idea popped up he realised just how ridiculous that was, he couldn't learn a second language. He had never imagined to do something like that with the redhead, but mostly since he was mostly convinced that Gaara was asexual. Didn't that just turn out to be a wrong assumption. Naruto comforted himself with the fact that Gaara probably wasn't going to talk to about it to others and probably wasn't going to bug him for a relationship. He smothered himself with his pillow before getting up looking around the simple one room apartment. His kitchen, bed- and living room were basically the same and aside from a small bathroom there wasn't much else. The blond jumped a little when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. With slight hesitation he took it out only to feel his face fall and his heart sink a little when he noticed to was a text from Gaara. Shit. Quickly he read through the less than short message. Naruto swallowed, wanting to quickly reply so that it wouldn't come off as unusual but every time his fingers went even near the keyboard his brain flatlined.

"Fuck!" He softly breathed before tossing the phone on his bed and shuffled to the bathroom. It was only there that he noticed that the clothing he had so hastily thrown on still had vaguely white stains on them. Well that explained a few odd looks he got on the bus. A loud smack was heard when he facepalmed himself and quickly got rid of his dirty clothes instead. The shower couldn't be long enough an briefly he contemplated just staying underneath for the rest of the day, skipping work al together with a fake cough and a lame excuse but the money was much needed. As soon as he had washed himself clean of what ever decided to stick to his skin he turned off the shower and got dressed for work.

"Sorry I'm late, I ju-" Naturo had to stop mid sentence when he was met by a fist, straight to his face. With a loud whine he stumbled backwards and quickly rubbed his sore cheek.

"Naruto! What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Sakura's voice almost screeched loudly. "Hinata is such a nice girl and you just dump her?!" She continued to yell at him. "Isn't she good enough for you?! Is there someone else?! Some other floozy?!"

Naruto inched back at the sight of his raging co-worker. "It's not like that!" He held up his hands defensively. "Sakura, it just wasn't working okay?! I feel terrible already!" He continued, failing to keep his voice down.

"He probably finally came to the conclusion that he's completely gay," Sasuke's voice scoffed from behind the pink haired girl as he just walked by, carrying some a heavily looking box.

"Will you shut up! What is this? Annoy Naruto day?!" He screeched over Sakura's shoulder to his darkly haired 'friend'.

Sasuke smirked a little, "it sounds like a good idea for a Holliday tho," he said, putting the box on its place.

"That's not the case, Naruto, you should be on your knees apologising to that poor girl!" Sakura said as she stepped in his line of vision again.

"Come on now children, you can beat each other up during the break," Kakashi's voice came from a small office with an open door a little not far from the entrance to the of the warehouse.

Sakura quickly turned around and nodded at the man and his gravity defying hair. "Sorry sir," she said through an apologetic smile before giving Naruto a final glare and went back to operating the forklift.

"Naruto," the voice of their supervisor quickly gained the blond's attention. "I hope you being late is just an one time thing. I'll see it through the fingers for now, but don't do it again," he said, not even looking up from the tacky little romance novel he was reading.

With a soft sigh, Naruto nodded at the man in the door opening and smile a bit weakly. "It won't happen again," he simply repeated. The rest of the day went just as horrible. His phone was blowing up with death threats from Neji, each worse than the other, a single apology from Hinata and a dick picture from Kiba over a stupid feud he had started when he was drunk out of his mind, which led to most if not all of his friends never opening multi-media texts from either one ever again.

The only text he did manage to reply was the one to Hinata, telling her that it was fine and apologising for what he had said to Neji the other day. At least that was easy although it was odd to text her like nothing had ever happened between the two of them. The day couldn't be over quick enough and by the time he got home, Neji finally stopped harnessing him. He dropped his phone upon the table, hoping he wouldn't have to look at the damned device for the upcoming few hours when he remembered he still had to reply Gaara. Quickly he jumped up from his bed and ran to his phone, quickly typing out a reply and hitting send before crawling back into his bed again, silently hoping that the world could do him a favour and just forget about last week.

* * *

"But Naruto! It has been two whole weeks! No one wants to go out, every one is avoiding each other, I mean, dear fucking christ, are you going to assume the life of a hermit?" Kiba's voice cried over the phone causing Naruto to sigh. "Come on man! You're single again! You gotta play the field! There's no lady holding you back now!" He tried cheerfully. Naruto could just hear the grin in his voice. He had to admit that he missed their usual Friday or Saturday drinking. "Every one will be there, Naruto, get over what ever awkward infected you," Kiba finished.

A grin tugged the blond's lips as he finally decided to give in and go along. It would probably be good for him to be among the rest again and get smashed. "Fine, I'll be there, ten right?" He asked.

"That's the spirit, and if you're not there I'm going personally drag out of that place and let Akamaru use you as a chew toy!" The brunet continued.

"Fine, fine, I don't wanna get chewed up by your Chihuahua," Naruto rolled his eyes, causing a scoff to be heard from the other side of the line. "Oh and by the way, your last picture sucked, even for your standards!" He grinned and hang up the phone before Kiba could reply. He placed the phone besides him. He had gotten a few more texts from Gaara, nothing too intense or even long for that matter. He gained two sentences at best, but even those he wasn't sure how he should've replied them. He ran his hand through his messy hair, figuring he would find a way to talk to Gaara soon. Or at least find something to say and maybe be able to masturbate again. Now every time he tried all he could think off was the way that the redhead had looked at him, the way that his breath ghosted on his skin and his hand over his cock with a surprising amount of skill. Quickly he slapped the side of his head with the bottom of his palm a few times in a weak attempt to get the thoughts out of his mind. "Damnit," he sighed and shook his head. No time to think about that now, he had to go eat, take a shower and get his ass over to the pub. That was easy enough. For clothing he voted on simple jeans and his favourite orange shirt.

"Hey cockbreath!" Kiba shouted a friendly insult the moment Naruto set foot in the pub. Quickly he was waved over to a table where him, Sasuke, Lee, Shino and Choji sat scattered around each with their own drink. "So you did decide to show up?" The brunet continued before he looked over to Sasuke. "And you, owe me ten bucks,"

Sasuke rolled his eyes before taking some money from his pocket and tossed it to the man.

"I still can't believe you guys are actually making bets like that," Lee half objected.

Naruto snorted, a faint smile upon his face, "give it up Bushy brows, these guys will always be asses," he waved his hand dismissively before he grinned broadly.

"That's why we're the only people that can stand your sorry ass," Kiba snickered.

"Speak for yourself, I'm still not entirely sure why I let you talk me into going out with you losers," Sasuke sneered half hearted.

"If you hate it so much you can always hang out with all your other friends," Naruto grinned like a child and left Sasuke to growl insults in his beer.

It wasn't much later that the girls came along whom had been having a 'girls night' of their own. Sakura and Ino where the first to strode in, shortly behind them followed Hinata.

"Hey guys!" Sakura happily waved before she took a seat next to her boyfriend and placed a kiss upon Lee's cheek that he was quick to reply.

Ino in her term sat down quickly next to Sasuke, shoving herself between the the other girl and him while Hinata just sat down next to Shino, greeting him with a brief wave and a small smile.

"Hello, Naruto," she softly greeted him and briefly looked up to the blond before looking back into her lap.

Naruto smiled a little watery over his third beer. "Hey," he decided to shortly acknowledge her.

"Is Shikamaru coming as well?" Ino asked as she shifted a little closer to Sasuke, who in his place shifter further away.

"He should be here soon," Kiba said putting a total of four pints on the table before he sat down again. "He said something about having to bring Temari along," he stopped to make a whipping motion along with the sound. "And she said something about dragging her brothers out of the house," he finished with a shrug.

At the mention of Temari bringing her brothers along, Naruto choked on his beer and coughed loudly, to which in reply he got quite a few arched eyebrows and confused looks.

"What's wrong with you?" Sasuke arched a brow.

"Oh...me? Nothing...it's just, does that mean Gaara as well?" He stumbled over his words between the last few coughs.

"I thought you where all buddy-buddy with Gaara," Sasuke dully commented.

"I am, I am, it's just that... Y'know, it's kinda weird imagining him going out," Naruto lied lamely.

"It's true tho, the guy's a hermit," Kiba crossed his arms over his chest and nodded to his own conclusion.

Naruto just hoped that the redhead wouldn't let his sister talk him into going along. His wishes to the universe or any god out there where bluntly ignored when like predicted Temari walked in followed closely Shikamaru, Kankuro and Gaara.

"Oi! The misses let you out?!" Kiba grinned when Shikamaru sat down along with Temari.

"He gets grumpy if I don't let him out every now and then," she joked before handing Kankuro some money. "You mind fetching drinks?" She almost sweetly smiled, however every one knew that it wasn't much of a question.

Gaara on his term just sat between Naruto and Kankuro, simply staying where he felt most comfortable. He looked over to the blond, smiling faintly and waved a tad bit half heartedly as a greeting.

Naruto on his term just smiled a little awkwardly and waved a little stupidly before downing his beer like his dear life depended on it. The rest if the night continued quite smoothly. Ino and Sakura where punching holes in other girls outfits like they held personal grudges towards all of them, Choji was mostly just eating and Hinata was softly talking to Shino every now and then. On the other side there was Lee desperately trying to get Sasuke into a conversation, Temari and Shikamaru glued to each other while Kankuro slipped him money so that he could continue to pour alcohol into Gaara who without much objection drank. Kiba on the other hand had made it his purpose in life (at least for the night) to mess around with a somewhat non responsive Naruto.

"Jesus man!" The like wet dog smelling brunet said as he softly punched his friend's should. "What the fuck is up with you tonight?! Even Hinata is having more fun than you!" He yelled, just a little too loud.

Naruto just glared mildly before sighing softly and quickly he took out his phone.

 **To: Kiba**

 _Me and Gaara did some shit a few weeks ago and I haven't talked to him since._

Kiba looked up when his phone buzzed and quickly he looked at the text, replying it with lightning like speed.

 **From: Kiba**

 _Shit like how man, be a little bit more specific._

Under the table Naruto replied again,

 **To: Kiba**

 _Like sex stuff, apparently he swings that way_

Kiba looked at his phone, frowning a little and a few more times he read it through.

"Gaara got his dick wet?!" He cried out in typical drunken fashion and nearly fell backwards out of his stool as he tried to crawl away. This caused the entire group to fall silent for a moment before they stared at the three. Looks ranged from confusion to mild disturbance or both.

Allarmbells went off in Temari's head at the sound of those words and quickly she ripped herself loose from her boyfriend.

Kankuro on his place just glared at the loud little brunet, "yo! That's my brother!" He hissed only at that moment realising just what that statement meant and his face too fell.

Gaara closed his eyes and frowned before he inhaled sharply. The redhead shot up out of his chair before he slammed his hand on the table which made him slide forwards and had him nearly meet the wooden surface face first.

"That's right!" He slurred his words a little and wobbled on his legs. "Ya'll didn't think it could happen!" He pointed his finger accusingly in no specific direction. "I know what you think of me!" He continued as his unfocused gaze moved through the group. "Well Naruto seemed to like it!" All eyes were on Naruto now and he turned to the blond as well, "I really, really, really like you though," he continued to shake the blond, though the words sounded close to like a sob and an almost pained look was stuck upon his face. Before Gaara could shout anymore Kankuro quickly got up and grabbed his little brother from behind, swinging him over his shoulder.

Naruto just stared at the scene, a blank expression on his face. He blinked owlishly at the sudden expressions that decided to graze Gaara's face, silently wondering if he should get seriously worried about the other spontaneously combusting under the sudden emotions.

"Kankuro! Put me down! I can walk just fine! Naruto! Why haven't you texted me back yet! I know you're avoiding me! Kankuro! I'm going to vomit!" Was still heard loud and clearly as Kankuro dragged the redhead off followed by the sound Kankuro shrieking when Gaara had apparently thrown up on his brother.

Temari shot up and casted the group an awkward smile, "well, sorry for that.." She started before she turned her head to her two siblings that hadn't even made it out of the door yet. "Kankuro! You prick! What have you done and where the hell do you think you're going with my little brother?"

"I am your little brother!" Kankuro shot back as he tried to drag Gaara out of the door.

"My littler brother!" She stomped towards them, leaving Kankuro to look up with a distressed look and hurry up to get out of his sisters war path.

After that a silence fell within the group again, every one just kind of stared awkwardly or still mildly disturbed at the blond, probably trying to get the mental image out of their brains. For ever.

"Congratulations!" Lee decided to open his mouth first before he gave Naruto a broad smile and a thumbs up. "The power of Youth is -"

He got cut off by Sakura putting her hand over his mouth, just trying to get him to stop as quickly as possible. "Not now honey," she smiled a bit weakly before turning her head towards Naruto, her expression instantly changed to a glare as her face met his.

"Thus confirming my comment that Naruto is completely gay and apparently will stick his cock into anything," Sasuke simply noted as he took a sip of his drink.

"What the hell were you thinking?!" Sakura finally yelled, nearly climbing over the table just to be able to punch some sense her idiot of a friend. "Sleeping around with people so soon after you broke up?! What does that say to Hinata?! Did you even think if her?!"

Naruto quickly got up, moving backwards to stay far away from Sakura's fist range. "In all honesty I was trying not too," he raised his hands defensively. "I didn't even mean for anything to happen! We just started making out, I didn't know that he would be _that_ responsive!" He continued to inch away and gave the girl a nervous smile. He turned his gaze to Hinata, not sure what to say to her. She just seemed shocked more than anything and a thick blush was smeared over her face.

"Hinata, I'm really sorry, okay?" He weakly apologised, making her briefly look up from her lap.

"Damn right your sorry!" Sakura yelled as she finally got a knee on the table all the while being held back by Lee and Ino.

"Sakura, stop it! We're going to get kicked out like this! Use that massive head of yours!" Ino shouted, trying to avoid the occasional elbow that was pushed her way.

"That's right, sweety!" Lee tried almost helplessly.

"And what about Gaara?! Have you thought of his feelings? Goddamnit Naruto!" With that she finally managed to rip herself loose and climb over the table to give him a right that like a kickboxer could, kicking and pushing drinks over as she did so. It was needless to say that it took only minutes to escalate and all of them stood out side again.

"Fine! Sakura! I wasn't thinking! Happy now?!" The shouting of abuse continued outside, between Sakura and Naruto that stood less than an inch apart. Shino, Choji and Hinata had fled the scene. Shikamaru was on the phone, covering his ear with his free hand trying to have an decent conversation with Temari and Sasuke was long gone.

"The both of you ruined tonight!" Kiba's complaint was still loudly heard.

"No! I'm not happy! You should've been thinking! I mean goddamnit! You're not sixteen anymore! You should know better than this!" She yelled, still being loosely held back by Lee.

"Come on, Sakura, sweety, lower your voice a little! They might call the police on us!" Lee tried calming his girlfriend down.

"Well you seem so great at thinking, why don't you just plan my life out for me! Just like you want too!" Naruto called back though his voice wasn't much of a shout anymore. It just seemed tired and annoyed at this point.

"You know what? Naruto, I'm done with you today," she gave up and lifted her hands briefly before she turned to Lee. "Let's go," she said and took his hand before they walked off. A brief hasty wave was all he managed to do while Sakura was pulling him away.

By this point Kiba had ducked back into the bar again, done with every one as well and only Shikamaru was left out side with him.

"You fucked up man," he said dryly.

"Oh come on! Not you too," Naruto whined

Shikamaru shrugged. "Just pray that Temari doesn't come back to punch in your other eye," he calmly said before taking a cigarette from his pocket and quickly lit it.

Naruto swallowed, "can't you tell her not to? You're her boyfriend!" He tried.

"Hell no, I'm not getting involved in shit like that, Naruto, I have to live with that woman," he raised his hands a bit. "My role is to nod, smile and hope she'll never find out that I know about all the shit that Kankuro does behind her back," he huffed out a cloud of smoke. "Speaking if which, you might want to start going home since she'll be here in a few," Shikamaru announced.

Naruto just nodded and waved a bit lamely as he decided to take his leave as well. He shoved his hands down his pockets and strode down the streets, wondering just where exactly in his life he had decided to fuck himself up the ass. A long sigh was heard as he ran his hands through his hair instead. What first? Try to talk to people? Let things settle? He didn't want to create a dent in his friendship with Sakura over this. Hinata he was sure she would understand, even if it was just for the sake of not making a big fuss over things and Gaara... Naruto stopped dead in his tracks at the thought of the redhead. Aside from the occasional more obvious nice gesture it was easy to overlook just how fond the redhead was of his loud mouthed friend. Briefly he thought about going by tomorrow, to see if maybe he could talk things out with him.

He took his phone from his pocket and looked at the texts that he had left over the course of the last two weeks.

 **From: Gaara**

 _Are you sure?_

 **From: Gaara**

 _You're not answering me. I don't think things are okay between us._


	4. Chapter three progress and pain

Oh dear, excuse me while I fish the last grammar and spelling misstakes out! Dyslexia is a blast! Anyhow, new chapter, I hope to be able to post the next one soon and please let me know what you think. Love, the mutt.

* * *

"Oh god! Kankuro how do you do this?!" Gaara cried out as he lifted his head from the toilet bowl. He sat on his knees, embracing the thing like it was his best friend

"It gets a little easier every time," Kankuro softly patted his back. Temari sat on the other side, gently running her fingers through her baby brother's hair.

"Does it? Temari?" Gaara whined, looking up to his sister.

Temari was stuck in between cringing and giving her little brother the most pitiful look she could muster. "There's still a little vomit on your chin..." She softly said, swallowing down her gag reflex.

Gaara sniffled as he looked at her before dunking his head back into the toilet and threw up what at this point was just mostly acid. His fingers moved up and mindlessly he tapped around on the reservoir before he found the handle to flush. "I'm going to take a shower," he finally announced and sat up straight again.

Both Temari and Kankuro got up, ready to leave the room. "We'll be here if you need anything," Kankuro said as he closed the door behind him.

Gaara waited for the door to fall back into the lock before he got up on wobbly legs and quickly got out if his like bar smelling clothes. He fished his toothbrush and the toothpaste from the sink before he turned on the tap, waiting for the water to gain a comfortable temperature. With a long sigh he sat down on the tiles and started to lazily brush his teeth. At this point he was pretty sure that all chance of further contact with Naruto that wouldn't be completely awkward were as far gone as his stomach content. Great.

By the time he felt clean and he finally had the taste of vomit waste out of his mouth, Temari was gone to pick up Shikamaru and Kankuro was collecting the dirty clothes to put in the washing machine, just so that the smell wouldn't linger. Without a word he slipped past his brother to hide away in his own room. It was only a few minutes after he had laid down in his bed that he heard a knock on his door.

"Yes?" He rasped through a pained throat.

"It's me," Kankuro opened the door only to find his little brother with the sheets up to his eyes and the lights still on. "Listen, Gaara, I'm sorry," he said as he sat down on the foot end of the bed and picked at his sleeves.

Gaara shrugged, "The blame lies more with me than you really, I am an adult, you know" he said, not looking at his brother. "Just, no mixing alcohol next time... Or as much," he sighed.

"I didn't think that shit would run this out of hand," he brushed his hand through his brown hair. "It was kinda funny to see you tell them all," he laughed a little weakly, but quickly stopped when he noticed the glare on Gaara's face. Again he looked away, shifting a little on his spot. "So...Naruto ey?" He finally tried to make small talk again. "Y'know I was already-"

"Kankuro,"

The brunet stopped mid sentence at the sound of his name and looked over to Gaara. His face wasn't met, instead the redhead insisted on looking at the ceiling like it was the most fascinating thing he had ever seen.

"Please just stop talking,"

Kankuro felt the corners of his mouth pull back before he nodded and got up. "Yeah, alright, sorry, I'll stop," he muttered to himself more than anything. "Good night," he sighed as he flicked off the lights and closed the door behind him.

He heard the door a few more times open and close before the house seemed empty and Gaara was left to nothing but his thoughts. It wasn't long after that that he fell asleep. Being done with substances for today he decided to stick to his medication to help him fall asleep.

The next morning Gaara woke up to the sound of his phone. His head throbbed when he opened his eyes and was met by the bright sunlight that shone through the first layers of curtains. He picked up the phone, expecting a text from Temari but was surprised when he noticed it was Naruto.

 **From: Naruto Uzumaki**

 _Hey, I was wondering if ur up yet and if I can swing by._

Gaara blinked a little at the message before quickly replying.

 **To: Naruto Uzumaki**

 _I'm up, and yes, you're welcome._

With that send he decided to start his day. From the living room that separated his and Kankuro's room he could still hear his brother's loud snoring. After another much needed shower he found himself sitting at the dinner table with a cup of black coffee and a cigarette. He couldn't really down anything yet and his hangover was only just ebbing away. Silently he looked at the wood, not sure what to think about Naruto's visit. His heart was beating while nausea came up and down again like the moving of the ocean. The redhead shot up at the sound of the doorbell and quickly he moved to the door, a cigarette still between his lips. The first thing he was greeted with when he opened the front door to the apparent was a little cactus with a pink bloom flowering at the top, behind that stood Naruto, holding it up like it was a gift to the gods.

"Hello?" He softly questioned, causing the blond to straighten his back and look up.

"It's, uhm, for you," Naruto smiled a little nervously holding it out once more. "I'm sorry," he scratched the back of his head.

"You're the second one to say that today," Gaara said as he took the little cactus, the faintest of smiles tugging his lips as he examined it. "Do you want to come in?" He finally asked, stepping away from the door to let the blond in. It was only than that he noticed a black eye on the other, briefly he wondered if it was from Temari before he decided to brush off the thought and started moving.

Naruto blinked a little before quickly nodding and happily he stepped in. He closed the door behind him and followed Gaara into the kitchen where he stood a little awkwardly around the table.

"You can sit down if you want too," Gaara finally said, looking up to his friend and quickly he lit another cigarette. Naruto just nodded in reply and quickly took a chair, keeping a bit of distance. "Would you like some coffee?" He finally asked, looking to the blond.

Naruto shook his head a little. "Nah, thanks I'm fine," he smiled a little nervously.

A silence fell between the two again and the sound of Gaara drinking his coffee or smoking a cigarette was all the noise in the room along with Kankuro's still too loud snoring.

"Say, last night when you-" Naruto was cut off by Gaara's voice.

"Forget about it," he said in an unapologetic harsh manner.

"Sorry, no can do," Naruto replied in an almost cocky manner.

"So what do you want then?" Gaara asked looking at the little cactus in front of him. Another silence fell.

Naruto sighed and lowered his eyes to the table. "I don't know," he finally said.

Gaara nibbled his lower lip and lowered his gaze as well. "What are we going to do then?" The question seemed almost hesitant.

"I don't know," was the answer again.

"You don't feel the same, do you?" Gaara butted his cigarette and turned his face away.

"I..." He started and fell silent again as the words choked up in the back of his throat. "I don't know," he finally continued. "I would be lying if I said I didn't feel anything, but it's so quick and I just don't know if..." He trailed off, trying to put his thoughts in order.

"You want a new relationship so soon after Hinata?" The redhead finished.

All Naruto could do was nod in reply. Again a silence fell between the two.

"Maybe..." Gaara started. "Maybe we can just be friends with extra's for now?" He softly suggested. "If it doesn't go anywhere we can just go back to being friends again," he continued, looking up at Naruto from the corner of his eyes.

He could see Naruto blink owlishly, "you think that could work?" He asked.

"We won't know if we don't try," Gaara shrugged.

"I uhm...guess it's settled then?" The blond grinned a little sheepishly. He placed his hand on Gaara's shoulder. "Here by I dub thee, my official friend with benefits," Naruto said, leaving Gaara to smile weakly before even chuckling a little. He however fell completely silent when he felt two hands gently hold his face and Naruto pull him into a kiss. Each cocked their head to a different side and the soft, innocent kiss was quickly deepened. Gaara expected nothing less when he found that Naruto tasted like instant noodles and teeth that had been brushed less than half an hour ago. His hands moved up when he felt Naruto pull an arm around his shoulder and waist. His hand moved over the broad shoulders and through messy, greasy hair, not wanting to let go just quite yet. At the sound of his name, he however flinched but before he could pull away from Naruto it was too late. Kankuro stared at them briefly with a sheepish and tired expression before he decided to move further into the room. Neither one of the two younger men said something as Kankuro took a seat. Gaara, more than anything just felt like a child that got caught stealing candy. Gaara briefly shook his head and decided to pick up as usual and made Kankuro his coffee.

The brunet on his turn picked up Gaara's pack of cigarettes and fished one out of the package before he lit it.

"Rough night? You look like you got attacked by a dog," Naruto grinned a little sheepishly at further inspection of Kankuro's 'war wounds'.

At this the brunet decided to lift his head and briefly look at his shoulders before resting his head back in his hands again. "Something like that," he sighed. "Speaking of dogs, Naruto, I need the phone number of one of your friends," he said, speaking up a bit clearer now.

A small confused frown tied Naruto's brows together and slightly he cocked his head to the side. "Who?" He finally asked, getting out his phone.

"Kiba's," Kankuro answered as he took his own phone from his pocket as well, ready to type it down.

The confusion that had washed over Naruto's face earlier grew bigger. "Why?" He finally asked, trying to figure out reasons for himself.

"None of your fucking business is why, just give me his number before I send Temari on your ass," he snarled before leaning back and picked up his coffee cup from the counter.

"Please don't," Gaara softly objected as he picked up his own mug again and watched Kankuro butt out a cigarette in the glass ashtray that sat in the centre of the small table.

"Okay, okay, jeez, morning person much?" Naruto raised his hands defensively before showing Kankuro his friend's phone number.

As soon as Kankuro had the number saved he took his coffee and another cigarette before he left the kitchen again. When the older man had faded back into his room Naruto turned to the man besides him.

"Does he hate me?" He frowned, "y'know, because of yesterday?" Naruto finished.

Gaara shrugged and took his seat again. "Don't think so, he's probably just hung over, and your voice is pretty loud," he simply answered.

The blond frowned and crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm not that loud," he huffed stubbornly.

Gaara arched an eyebrow. "Naruto, whenever you came to visit me in the asylum I could hear you from three streets away; you're loud," he said through a small smile.

"Hey, at least I came to visit you," Naruto shrugged.

"I know," Gaara softly smiled with nothing short of gratitude in his voice. A brief moment of silence fell. Neither one spoke much of Gaara's little Asylum adventure. "Did you have other plans or do you mind staying around?" The redhead finally asked as he returned to his coffee.

"Well..." Naruto started and scratched the back of his head. "Hinata was supposed to bring some things over today," he said, looking at the other man from underneath his blond lashes.

"You want me to be there?" Gaara calmly asked and turned his head slightly to the side.

"Please?" Naruto pouted.

a weak smile tugged his lips as he slowly nodded. "Sure, but I'm not going to get involved," he clarified calmly.

"That's alright! I just don't wanna be alone," he raised his hands defensively.

With a small smile Gaara nodded. "Whenever you're ready then,"

* * *

The silence before the storm, that's what they called it. There was a tensions that could cut through diamonds and glares were exchanged between blue and grey eyes.

"Well, you're going to-" Naruto's words were cut off by Neji's fist hitting the non swollen eye.

"Neji! Stop it! What are you doing?!" Hinata tried but her voice was drowned out by the two already starting to brawl in Naruto's tiny apartment.

Naruto wasn't the only one that didn't want to be alone during the whole ordeal. Hinata had brought along Neji, probably on his own request while she brought the items. The darkly haired girl had been practically hiding in a corner while her cousin brought in a box of Naruto's belongings and dropped it on the floor. A total of three snarky remarks were exchanged before Neji finally told Naruto to shut up before he would hurt him. Naruto, on his part just opened his arms and pushed his luck on that threat.

"Goddamnit! You prick! You punched me!" Naruto hissed as he practically jumped the other man to return the favour.

"I told you I would hurt you! You don't deserve my cousin!" He barked back, quickly blocking the fist that was tosses his way before he kicked Naruto off.

"Neji! Please! Just stop it!" Hinata cried out and held on to his arm.

The long haired man stopped for a moment before he looked to the smaller woman and sighed. "You're lucky," he growled before he turned his back.

The blond quickly tried to follow the two, maybe get one final strike in before he was choked by someone who grabbed the collar of his shirt. His head nearly snapped back and his glare was cast towards Gaara who had apparently gotten of the bed. Unfazed by the glare he shook his head.

"Don't," was the only word uttered before the door closed again.

"I thought you weren't going to get involved," Naruto huffed as he looked back to the door.

"So did I," Gaara rolled his eyes skywards and sighed softly before he sat back on the bed.

"don't get all eye rolly and sighy with me! He started it!" Naruto pointed at the door.

"And Hinata stopped it, if it isn't for the sake of your own eyesight, at least do it for her," Gaara dully said before he leaned over and poked the bruised tissue causing the other man to jump backwards with a loud yelp. Naruto quickly straightened himself from nearly tripping over his own feet and glared a little at Gaara's faint self satisfied smile.

"You sadist!" Naruto whined gently holding the bruised eyes.

The redhead pressed his index against his lips and hushed his friend before he got off the bed and moved towards the fridge. Naruto, with a small huff sat on Gaara's spot and watched the other man as he took a beer and gently pressed it against the blond's eye.

"You should keep it cool," he softly said as he sat down next to Naruto who quickly took the can. With a soft hiss he pressed it against his eye and sighed.

"I still think it's unfair that I'm the only one getting punched," Naruto huffed and opened the can.

Gaara shrugged, "It could've been worse," he said, looking at the bruised skin. "Besides, Kankuro gets punched all the time," he continued in the same almost thoughtful manner. From the corner of his eyes he looked over to Naruto who huffed at the attempt to make him feel better. "You're the only one that got my first kiss," he finally said, a small smile playing over his lips as he said so.

Naruto blinked a little when those words finally hit him. "I did didn't I?" Naruto softly said mostly to himself. Gaara nodded and hummed in reply, happy that he got the other to at least stop whining. "And no one else will take that," he continued.

Gaara arched a brow. "Yeah, that's

the way it works," he said, mildly confused at the amazement in Naruto's voice. He frowned when he faced his friend again and was met by two black eyes and a broad grin. "You're scaring me..." Gaara said, slowly inching away.

Naruto's face fell when he heard that comment and softly he huffed as he crossed his arms over his chest. A small comfortable silence fell that was only broken by the sound of both men getting comfortable on the bed. Gaara inched back and rested against the wall behind him while Naruto carefully rested his head on the redhead's lap. A small smile tugged the corners of his lips into a faint smile at the sight. He closed his eyes and exhaled a deep breath while Naruto's weight shifted a last time. It wasn't all that uncommon to end up in a position like this, Naruto was quite fond of physical touch and after a long while, Gaara grew to expect it. He opened his eyes and felt a bittersweet feeling twist into his guts.

Naruto too let go of a deep sigh before he inhaled the calmth that Gaara seemed to carry. With half lidded eyes he stared at the black Tv screen while he emptied his brain of all the thoughts that plagued his mind. "I wonder if Hinata packed everything," he finally voiced his thoughts.

"I don't know," was the soft reply and the hand that hoovered above Naruto's hair quickly moved to lay back on the mattress. He softly bit his lower lip and looked at the box. It almost seemed to mock him.

Naruto sat up and took a sip of the beer that he held against his eye.

Both stared curiously at the little box before Naruto placed his beer on the little table and got up from the bed. A few times he walked around the box and carefully examined it. With little grace he sat down and began to tear the tape off the top. The quickness and enthusiasm of his moves slowed down and came to an halt when he had the box opened. A knot in his gut tightened and the corners of his mouth pulled back. With a soft sigh he pulled out clothing items such as underwear, shirts, socks as well as lost chargers and other such belongings. Once more he reached in and slowly pulled out photos, gifts and little notes; everything that used to be in Hinata's room that once belonged to him was now packed up and brought back.

Gaara whom had been watching from the bed nibbled his lower lips and wondered if he should've left. Slowly he got up from the bed and shuffled over to sit next to Naruto where he looking into the box and at the pictures. They ranged from when they were friends as young teenagers to when they started dating as young adults. Every picture seemed to capture a moment that made a stepping stone of them growing up.

"This is the end of it, no?" Naruto's voice ripped the redhead out of his thoughts and slowly he turned his head to his friend. With a pained expression he watched as the hand he places on his shoulder was just enough to push him over the edge. Without giving Gaara a choice in the matter Naruto collapsed in arms that barely managed to catch him.

Thickly the redhead swallowed and slowly wrapped his arms around the other man as he sobbed away. Wordlessly he comforted the blond until his hiccups ebbed away.

"Do you regret it?" Gaara hated the small amount of hope that he could taste on his tongue as he asked the question that had been burning in his mind for hours now.

Naruto glared at the box and shook his head. "No, but yes...I don't know," he softly answered. "Part of me will always love her, and it hurts that I broke up with her, it hurts to know that I've hurt her," he rasped and let Gaara wipe away his tears.

"But...?" Gaara softly asked.

"When I gave her that ring, I wasn't excited, I was terrified, the thought of kids and all of that crap, I didn't want that, but she does...I know she does," he sighed and closed his eyes.

Teal eyes moved through the half unpacked content of the box. No ring.


	5. Chapter four functionally dysfunctional

Eeeep! Thanks to the people who read it and have left reviews and actually followed and faved it 3

Oh yeah, I'll do the whole, stay in school and drugs are bad kids thing...I neither deny nor confirm being a pothead so my word feels kinda...'meh' at best.

* * *

"How have you been, Gaara?" Temari quickly asked as she took a moment to stop and stand still.

"I've been alright," Gaara faintly smiled to the blonde who gave him a quick smile back.

"That's good to hear," she said as she placed her suitcase on the ground and ruffled his hair softly. Quickly she picked it up again and gave Shikamaru a quick kiss on her way out. Her quick movements were however critically crippled by an outfit too tight and heels just that little bit too high.

"I'll be back in three to four hours or so, so be good!" She called over her shoulder before she closed the door.

Gaara huffed and dipped further into the leather couch. "Does she make you wear that?" He arched a brow at the pink apron that Shikakaru was rocking.

He shrugged and plucked the frilly fabric along the outside, "party, it does keep me clean when I'm cooking or cleaning," he said as he opened one of the large windows before he pulled open a drawer and laid and ashtray on the glass table I front of Gaara.

"How did you get it to begin with?" He frowned at the ashtray and took his cigarettes out.

"A 'funny' gift from someone at the office, I wore it a few times around the house to cheer her up, but it became a normality," he said as he lit a cigarette of his own.

Gaara couldn't help but chuckle faintly and smile softly to himself at the story. "I think Temari is the luckiest person in our family,"

Shikamaru shrugged but remained silent. "Speaking of family," he started, "where is Kankuro?"

Gaara hummed and frowned, "still back at the apartment, I'll drive home with him but he was excepting a 'friend' or something to come over; he was wearing his good cologne," The redhead sighed. "He'll come later," he shrugged.

Shikamaru cringed as his first response, "ah, yeah, friend..." He said as he finished his cigarette and killed the remains in the ashtray.

"Yeah, I don't want to stay around for that," he rolled his eyes skywards and butted his cigarette out as well.

"Well, all the food is pretty much prepared and there isn't much else for me to do now, should I get out the chessboard?" The darkly haired man asked as he pulled his hair out of the pony tail only to retie it.

Gaara chewed the inside of his lip before he hummed and nodded. "Yeah, that would be nice," he replied. Both men moved over to the partially dressed dinner table and sat down at the very end. A dark wooden chessboard was put on the modern styled table and both men took their pieces.

"Do you think I've got enough time to light this?" Gaara asked as he laid a joint on the table.

Shikamaru sighed and nodded. "Only if you light it now, it's such a bother to get the smoke out of the house in time," he waved his hand dismissively.

"Do you have eye-clearer?" Shikamaru asked as he moved the first pawn.

"Always," Gaara replied while he stared at the chessboard. He moved a horse and fished a small bottle with eye drops from his pocket before he placed it on the table. Not much later he fished a lighter out of his pocket and took a deep dragg.

Without a word the darkly haired man took his phone out and put a timer on before he moved another pawn.

"Say, Shikamaru," Gaara gained his opponent's attention.

"Yes?"

"Is it normal to have this much secrets from each other in a relationship?" Gaara asked as he looked at the golden ring around the man's finger.

Shikamaru blinked a few times before a questioning frown pulled his features. "Are you asking me in general or because I'm married to your sister?"

Gaara looked back up to the man's face and hummed. "A little bit of both I suppose," he shrugged in lack of a better answer.

"Are you talking about the drugs?" He asked as he picked the joint and took a few drags of his own.

"As well, I mean, you seem to know everything that's going on in general," Gaara lifted a hand as if he was holding something before he placed both in front of him again.

There was a moment of silence as Shikamaru chewed over his answer. "Normally, no," he stated and laid the joint back down.

Gaara frowned deeply and cocked his head to the side.

"But, deep in her heart, Temari does know most of what's going on," he said and the confusion on Gaara's face thickened.

"Than why doesn't she say anything about it?" He asked.

"She works for the law," Shikamaru clarified with a tone of annoyance in his voice.

There was a moment of silence in which Gaara wanted to smack himself for not standing still by the fact that his sister had a career as well.

"Of course," he frowned and rubbed his temple. His eyes moved back down to the chessboard and silently he chewed the inside of his cheek.

"Why do you want to know about normal relationships to begin with?" Shikamaru asked, finally breaking the long silence that fell over the both of them.

Gaara shrugged, "curiosity," he lamely replied.

The darkly haired man raised an eyebrow and moved another piece.

"Is it because of Naruto?" He asked and waited for Gaara to respond.

The redhead chewed the inside of his cheek as he stared to the board. He shrugged before he let his hand hoover over one of the pieces only to slowly retreat it again to rethink his move.

"Yeah," he finally said as he moved one of his bishops. "Three weeks ago we decided to settle for a friends with benefits kind of thing, but, in all honesty I'm not sure how I feel about that," he said as he watched his bishop being replaced with one of Shikamaru's horses.

"I'm just going to point out the obvious, but, have you told Naruto?" Shikamaru asked as Gaara almost aimlessly moved his king forwards.

"I..." He stammered as he tried to think of a way to put his feelings to words.

"Check,"

"It's just..."

"Mate,"

Gaara blinked at the board and felt the corners of his mouth pull back. "I don't want to push him and I don't want to lose him," He finally admitted. With an angry huff he pushed himself away from the table and took the last drag of the joint.

"I've tried talking when we started this, but Naruto doesn't know what he wants either," he growled before he killed what was mostly filter and crossed his arms over his chest.

Silently Shikamaru watched his brother in law throw a tantrum before he sighed softly and put the pieces away.

The redhead moved back to sit at the table and rested his head into his hands.

"How can I feel like this for ten years now?"

* * *

"Kankuro, you're late again!" Temari hissed as the middle brother finally decided to show his face. It was clear from the way his mismatched outfit was thrown together that he had gotten ready and ran to the car at the very last moment.

"Only an hour, it's no big deal, really Temari, be glad I showed up, why do you insist on having these dinners anyway?" Kankuro huffed as he pulled a chair away from the neatly dressed table and sat down next to Gaara, who, with an arched brow and a curious expression observed his brother. He managed to count a total of three new bright red teeth and claw marks.

Temari's face grew bright red in anger and Shikamaru cautiously inched away from her.

"I want us to be a normal family Kankuro, normal families do things together," she hissed through her teeth as she tried to force down her anger.

"Since when are we a normal family?!" There was a hint of genuine confusion in his mainly mocking tone.

"Since I've decided we are on every twentieth of the month from five to nine! Now shut up, eat your free food and listen to me complain about people at the office! You can get dessert of you want to join us for monopoly!" She pointed her fork accusingly into his direction before she stabbed it into a piece of meat on her plate.

A thoughtful frown tied Kankuro's eyebrows together before he looked up to Shikamaru, "what's for desert?" He asked as he started cutting his food.

"Chocolate lava cake," he simply replied before eating his food in an unusually fast phase.

Softly Kankuro hummed at his food. "Can I be the car?" He asked as he looked back up again.

"Sure, Kankuro, we'll leave you the car," Temari sighed before an happy smile curled into her lips again as a feeling of self satisfaction washed over her. "Dinner is great honey," she smiled in Shikamaru's direction.

"Oh yeah, even Gaara is eating faster than usual," Kankuro grinned in a cat like manner before he hissed in pain as someone kicked him under the table.

"Hmm?" The redhead looked up and quickly chewed down his food, "what?" He gave his family a dear in headlights look as he wiped his mouth clean.

"Nothing Gaara, just continue on eating," Temari said through a warm smile.

With a quick nod, Gaara returned to inhaling his meal. A buzz in his pocket caught him off guard and with a small noise he jumped before he realised it was his phone. Quickly he checked the small device under the table and frowned as he recognised Naruto's number.

"I have to go to the bathroom," he softly announced before he moved away from the table and slipped off to the bathroom next to the master bedroom. With a flick of the switch he turned on light that seemed blinding in the all white bathroom. In slight amazement he watched as he could actually see himself in the tiles. Shikamaru must've had a free day. Aside from makeup that laid scattered around the sink it was surprisingly neat.

Gaara pulled out his phone once more and dialled the number as he pulled the toilet seat down and sat down on the cover.

"Gaara! Dude! How are you?!" Naruto's loud voice crashed through the tiny speaker.

The redhead cringed slightly before he rested back against the reservoir.

"I'm pretty much alright, lost a game of chess and I'm having dinner with family," he summed up his day while his fingers toyed with the holes in his belt. "Why did you want me to call you?" He asked as he moved his feet up to the seat as well.

"I'm alright, I was bored so I figured, I'll call Gaara," Naruto casually told. "How come you have family dinner?" He curiously asked.

"Temari wants us to believe we're a normal family," Gaara laughed faintly and rolled his eyes skywards. "If anything we're functionally dysfunctional," he halfhearted joked.

A small laugh was heard on the other side of the phone and Gaara found his smile grew a little brighter.

"You gotta love 'em though,"

He hummed softly, "I do," he shrugged but his words were genuine.

"So, mister Uzumaki, is there anything particular you wanted to talk about?" Gaara asked as he got up and moved towards the large mirror before he started examining his face in it.

"Nothing particular," he could hear the shrug. "I just wanted to hear your voice and this way I'm kind of forcing you to talk," Naruto joked halfhearted.

Gaara cocked his head a little to the side as he watched in fascination how his face changed colour. A small nervous laugh was uttered and slowly he nodded. "Of course," he said in the lack of any better words.

"Hey Naruto?"

"Yeah?"

"Would you like to go out sometime next week?"

A silence fell. "Uhm...yeah! Sure! I'm up for that! Lemme check!"

Gaara could hear papers rustle, objects fall and feet stumble. "I'm free next Saturday," he said as everything fell silent again.

Gaara couldn't help the smile that had crept into his face and quickly he looked down to his feet, "Saturday seems nice," he said as he tried to force the words in a nonchalant tone.

"Saturday it is! Anything you'd like to do?" Naruto asked in an enthusiastic enough manner to make Gaara giddy.

When the question actually seemed to enter his train of thoughts, "hmm...movie?"

"Sounds good," Naruto shrugged.

"Alright, well, I have to go again before Temari becomes suspicious," he said and he moved to the door. He rested his back against the wooden surface and cocked his head back.

"Bye Naruto," he softly said as if it was a secret and held on to his phone with both his hands.

"Goodbye Gaara," was replied in the same hushed manner before they hang up.

* * *

But who will win Monopily?! We may find out in the next chapter... I like to keep that suspense going.


	6. A sorry too much, an apology too little

Holy shit that last chapter was short, my bad! D: I was already wondering why I wrote this so fast! I promise the next ones will be at least 3k words!

Also! Woot! I've hit over 200 views which is a big deal to me! Thank you all so much ;3;

* * *

"Do you remember the day you gave this to me?" Hinata held a small toy ring between slender fingers and gave the plastic a watery smile.

"It was our sixth year anniversary," he replied as he absently stared at the little toy between the girl's fingers.

Her lips pulled into a sad smile and silently she took Naruto's hand before she placed the ring into the palm and gently squeezed it shut. A strange feeling of peace and emptiness blew into the pale and stripped room through an open window. The soft purple curtains rustled with every summer wind and birds chirped their songs to fill in the silence between them. Naruto swallowed thickly and shoved the ring into his pocket before he looked at the box that stood at his feet. All of Hinata's belongings that had gotten lost in his apartment were now held together by a square of carton.

Hinata moved away from the blond and instead decided to sit on a little office chair. Her eyes met a desk above which hang a flurry of photo's in which gaps were given away by small holes in the wall where once tags were pinned.

"I'm hurt," the softly spoken words caught him off guard and quickly he looked up to the young woman that still stared at the hands that rested in her lap.

"Sorry?" He softly choked out.

"I'm hurt Naruto, by your actions," she softly continued.

Naruto could feel his heart stop and the blood freeze in his body. He took a deep breath and swallowed away saliva that felt like tar and tasted like fire. He waited for her to elaborate and shifted uncomfortably on his sport.

"I know you mean well, but you've hurt me, with what you've said to Neji, what you've done with Gaara, with the ring that you gave to me that I thought meant something," she finally looked up to the blond and grey eyes locked into blue ones. She looked on the strange borderline between confident and on the brink of crying. Blue eyes met the floor and Naruto but his lower lip.

"I'm sorry..." He softly exhaled. "I don't know what else to say or how I can make it up to you," he finally looked back at Hinata only to find that she never moved a muscle. Quickly he looked down again and before he shoved his hands down his pockets.

"You don't have to, I know you're sorry, but I think you understand that I don't want to see you anymore for a while," she bit back a few sobs and she too now found her eyes glued to the box in front of her feet.

Naruto couldn't find the words in his brain to reply her, and maybe that was for the best. Like a mute he stood there and nodded to her every word like it was gospel.

"Don't worry about the group, I'll be gone to family out of town for a while," Hinata continued. "When I come back, we can be friends again, but until than, please don't contact me," she finished as the breaking point of a sob ebbed away in a new found power that held her together.

Once more Naruto nodded before he took a deep breath and straightened out his back. "I...uhm...have fun? I mean good luck...?" He stumbled over his words. He inhaled deeply before a long sigh was exhaled.

"Please be alright,"

"Don't worry about me, Naruto,"

Briefly he opened his mouth only to instantly close it again, he had nothing to say to her anymore. Instead he turned around and walked back through the hallway of the family home until he silently slipped through the door so that he could disappear into his own home. With every step the ring burned into his pocket and he held it a little tighter. As soon as the house was out of sight he pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialled Sasuke's number.

The phone went over a few times before a less than annoyed voice on the other end of the line greeted him.

"What is it?"

A wry smile tugged Naruto's lips as he held his steps and stares up at the bright blue open sky. "I just brought Hinata's stuff to her place," he paused and hoped Sasuke would take the wheel in the chat, but silence remained between the two of them. "I feel kinda shitty," he finally sighed.

He could hear Sasuke swallow before he sighed deeply. "Do you want to come over and play games?" He asked and Naruto could hear the man sink deeper into his couch.

"I'd like that yeah," he said as a small smile started to tug the corners of his mouth up and his eyes moved down to his feet instead.

"I'll be there in like half an hour, I have to go by my place first,"

"What ever, see you when I look at you,".

* * *

"So...let me get this straight, everything with Hinata is finally final, and you're going out with Gaara this Saturday?" Sasuke quirked an eyebrow at his own findings.

"Like a date, out?" Sakura asked in a sceptic manner, though her narrowed eyes never left the screen.

"Nah, like friends, fuck!" Naruto hissed as his little virtual cart slipped over a banana peel.

A small snicker was heard from Sasuke's end of the couch. "Sucks to be you, loser,"

"But Hinata said she was going out of town for a while to see family and I guess it's to clear her head," The blond continued and pressed the little button even harder in the hopes of making his wages go faster.

"That poor girl, I hope she's doing alright," Sakura sighed before she grinned at Sasuke, "suck it!" She exclaimed as she passed him.

"What about me? I'm hurt too!" Naruto winced as he finally crossed the finish line for the last round.

Sakura's jaw tightened a little before she set another trap in the cart game. A soft sigh finally escaped her as her body relaxed again.

"You're right, I'm sorry," she finally said as she looked over to the blond from the corners of her eyes. "I never should've punched you," she softly admitted.

"Although you do kind of deserve it for being a Narutard," Sasuke grinned.

Once more Sakura briefly looked over to her friend, the swelling of both eyes had pretty much disappeared and aside from the last few traces of bruises, nothing was really visible anymore. "I mean, we were drunk and things were said that maybe we shouldn't have.." She softly continued as she crossed the finish line first. Silently she laid her controller in front of her as princess Peach danced atop the little pink cart.

"I still don't agree with how you've done things, I mean for..." She stopped herself, "well, I've already said this," she laughed a little humourless and brushed her short pink hair behind her ear.

Naruto dropped his controller as well when it became apparent that he was not going to win this round. "It's alright, you're forgiven, I mean, I guess I needed someone to punch some sense into me, just not the face next time?" He broadly grinned.

A small smile grew brighter on Sakura's face and quickly she picked up the controller again. "Alright, another round guys! See if anyone can beat me this time!"

Without a word Sasuke got up and placed his controller on the small coffee table in front of them. "Drinks?" He asked as he picked up his own glass.

"Another ice-tea please," Sakura smiled up at the darkly haired man and handed him her empty glass.

"Coke!" Naruto ordered as he with a cheeky grin shook his glass in front of the other man.

"Sure," Sasuke bit his words before he snatched the glass away.

"Love you sugar pop!" Naruto laughed over the couch as his friend walked to the kitchen.

"Oh now that I think about it, the group wanted to go out again next Saturday!" Sakura said when Sasuke came back.

"You reckon you can come after going out with Gaara," The darkly haired male asked as he sat down on his spot next to his lady friend.

Naruto bit the inside of his cheek and hummed softly. "Yeah, I think I should be able to make that," he finally replied. "I'll just be there a little later," he grinned.

All three picked up the game again and a silence that was only broken by the occasional cusses, noises and exclamations started.

"Say," Naruto started a tad bit absently. "You think I can take Gaara with me to the pub?" He asked.

"If he still wants to come after what happened last time, I'm sure it'll be fine," Sasuke shrugged.

"I'll ask him," Naruto smiled to himself.

* * *

"For the love of God! Gaara! Get out of that bathroom! There are more people around and that person is me!" Kankuro shouted as he banged his fist against the abused wood. The lock clicked and the door was opened. Quickly Kankuro slipped in only to quickly undo his pants.

"You're wearing guyliner again?" He quirked an eyebrow.

Gaara stopped the pencil and removed it from his eyes. "Yeah, I'm going out tonight," he said through a shy smile.

"Oh?" Kankuro inched closer to shoulder bump his little brother before he inched back to the spot he had in front of the toilet.

Gaara cringed mildly when his brother touched him before he continued the last black line around his eyes.

"So, Did that loud mouth ask you out?" Kankuro asked curiously before he flushed the toilet and pulled up his zipper.

"No, I asked him out," the redhead said as Kankuro pushed him aside to access the sink.

"And he said yes?" The older sibling asked as he shook his hands dry and stepped away from the mirror where Gaara instantly started to fix his hair.

"Obviously, I'm not going through this much effort to get dressed for shits and giggles," he duly replied.

With a huff Kankuro crossed his arm over his chest and narrowed his eyes. "Sheesh, I know you're nervous but you don't have to go all Sally Sarcasm on my ass," he said and messed up Gaara's hair again. The hand was quickly slapped away by the redhead who frantically started to fix his hair again.

"Goddamnit! I'm twenty-six, why do I still have to deal with zits?!" The younger man hissed through his teeth and wrinkled his nose as he closer inspected his face.

With a small snort of laughter Kankuro rested his back against the door and watched his little brother freak out. "Gaara, it's nothing," he calmly said as soon as the fun was starting to wear off and pity kicked in. He placed his hand on the smaller man's shoulder and gently pulled him away from the mirror.

"You look fine, now stop freaking out," he said as Gaara finally looked away from the mirror. "Also, I need to know, are you going to be home early tonight?" He asked with the most earnest of expression on his face.

A small frown knitted over Gaara's face, "I don't know," he more asked than replied, "do I want to be home early?" He asked suspiciously and cocked his head slightly.

Kankuro wrinkled his nose a little and silently looked away. "Probably not..." He shrugged.

For a moment both men just looked at each other before Gaara deeply sighed. "You know what, I really don't care," he said as he pushed past his brother and out of the bathroom.

"Thanks man!" He shouted as Gaara fled into his bedroom and slammed the door behind him.

Gaara rested against his door and sighed. His heart was beating in his chest and even the sandy coloured walls or the familiar smell could help him calm down. With a groan he slid down and embraced his legs as he tried to collect his thoughts. With a soft huff he looked up from his legs and nibbled his lower lip when the bong stared at him. It did look awfully inviting and it would be a good way to get rid of the nerves that seemed to plague him. He debated with himself in the back of his mind but he found he was losing it very quickly.

* * *

"So which movie would you like to see?"

Naruto's curious voice pulled Gaara out of his thoughts and gave Naruto a deer in headlights look. "I..uhm.." He stammered as he looked over to the posters. He didn't see anything that really made sense to him and half heartedly read the titles.

"That one?" He pointed at what appeared to be a poster of a romantic comedy. Gaara cringed a little at his own choice. "Or that one?" He pointed at something that seemed more like an action film.

Instantly Naruto perked up and grinned broadly, "that seems nice! That one?"

Gaara hummed softly and nodded. He let his eyes sort through the posters before he frowned slightly to himself at the lack of interesting films. He quickly and blindly followed the blond through the cinema. He let Naruto buy the tickets before they took the escalator to the second floor. The smell of popcorn and other such snacks grew stronger and Gaara's stomach growled. He reached out to the man's sleeve and softly tugged it.

"Do you want me to pay for snacks?" He softly asked.

"Hmm?" Naruto nodded, "yeah! Sure!" He smiled and moved off the moving stairs, shortly followed by the redhead.

With big eyes he walked across the brightly coloured rows of candy. "Do..uhm...do you want some popcorn?" He asked the blond that followed behind him.

"The usual?" Naruto asked as he shoved his hands into his pockets.

"Big and salty," Gaara smiled at the candy as he reached for a plastic bag.

"You got it!" Naruto winked as he finger banged his friend. "Though I still think there's something oddly sexual about that phrasing," he finished in all seriousness again. He moved to stand in a line that felt too long until he was finally joined by Gaara who came standing next to him with his hands filled with all sorts of treats.

"Jesus, hungry much?" Naruto laughed at his own joke and Gaara snickered a little.

"Yeah, I haven't had any dinner yet," he lied before he looked back down to what he decided to take with him.

"Besides, according to my doctor I'm underweight anyway," he shrugged. "But it's for the both of us," Gaara rambled on.

In slight curiosity Naruto watched and nodded before he poked the redhead's sides a few times which caused him to jump.

"Stop it!" Gaara hissed under his breath and tried to inch away from the ticklish touch.

With a victorious grin Naruto jabbed his hands into his pockets. "I forgot you were ticklish," he said through a coy grin.

"Of course," Gaara's words dripped of disbelieve. "You know, I'm still the one with food," he halfhearted threatened him with a small smile.

The cheeky grin dropped and a genuine distressed expression pulled into Naruto's face. "Woah man! Let's not do something drastic here, I mean, you can't finish that on your own anyway," he tried and caused Gaara to chuckle softly.

"Don't worry, I won't actually eat everything myself," he finally reassured the blond and watched as the people in front of them started ordering food. With a soft sigh he rested his head on Naruto's shoulder and closed his eyes. A soft smile tugged his lips when Naruto softly rested his head against his and with a deep inhale he drank in the man's scent. Something about it had always been comforting. Their moment of peace was interrupted when Naruto softly shrugged his shoulder.

"We have to move," he said as he nodded his head towards the empty spot in front of the counter.

"Oh, yeah," with sluggish movements Gaara straightened himself and with his friend besides him he moved to the counter. All the food was dropped atop and the clerk started counting numbers that quickly added up. Gaara's eyes grew wide and the corners of his mouth pulled back as the end number was presented to him.

"Oh my...I don't remember grabbing this much," he softly said and started to pull money out of his wallet.

Both of them each took a few things and together they walked to the right theatre. Once everything was settled Gaara once more rested his head atop Naruto's shoulder whilst lazily eating a handful of gummy bears. Naruto too rested his head gently against his friend and tried to flick popcorn into his mouth, which, more often than not hit every place on his face except his mouth. The theatre grew darker and the curtains moved aside, making the screen broader. The last few hushed whispers passed and the music started. It took Naruto all but five seconds to get sucked into the magical screen with moving pictures while Gaara was still too busy debating with himself what he wanted to eat next. With a soft hum the redhead inched closer to the other man and nuzzled further into his shoulder. Naruto didn't object, he never did. More than he wanted to admit Naruto was aware of the change of tone in Gaara's actions. It made his heart buzz and his stomach twist with nervousness that had always been dragged out of his system with every touch that Gaara left on his skin.

* * *

End credits rolled and the lights flicked back on exposing a room full of people that in their own tempo got up and left the theatre. Amongst the mix was Naruto, closely followed by Gaara.

"That film was awesome! I mean there was so much fire and the fighting was so neat!" Naruto loudly exclaimed as they walked down the stairs.

Like a mute Gaara remained silent, biting away the things that he knew were about as possible as a green flamingo not to mention the things he still had very much his doubts about. Instead he decided to focus on the brighter things and enjoyed Naruto's enthusiasm with a small smile.

The endless chattering that came out of Naruto was put to a screeching halt when someone one called out his name. Both men looked up only to find a young man, probably sixteen or so, with dark hair that refused to abide by gravity's laws. Besides him was a young woman of about the same age who wore her strawberry blonde hair in twintails. As the three started talking Gaara remained back and curiously watched the conversation. It came to no surprise that these people knew Naruto, everyone knew him and sometimes, Gaara felt the bitter taste of envy because of that.

"So, you two out on a date?" Naruto probed, both figurative and literally, the young man.

The boy seemed to grin a little sheepishly. "Yeah..." He nervously scratched the back of his head before he looked over to Gaara who had been poking his head out from behind the blond. A small frown tied his eyebrows together and worry twisted into his face.

Gaara recognised the boy, Kankuro had bullied him once when they were still children at school.

"How about you?" He asked looking back up to the blond.

"Us?" Naruto asked before he stepped aside and pulled Gaara into the open. "Nah, we're just here as friends," He finished happily and Gaara felt his heart stop for a second. For a split second his eyes widened and his mouth pulled back before he looked down at the ground.

"I'm going out for a fag," Gaara softly announced and quick paced his way out of the theatre.

"I'll be right up!" Naruto called after him.

He could hear the blond quickly wrap up the conversation before heavy feet followed him to the exit. Once outside Gaara fished a pack of cigarettes out of his pockets and quickly lit one.

Silently Naruto joined him and watched the redhead suck the nicotine out of the filter like his life depended on it.

"So, I'm going out to the pub after this, you wanna come with?" He asked as they watched people and traffic pass by.

"With the group?" Gaara asked as he looked up to the inner city skyline.

"Yeah, they invited me and well, since I was going to see you first I was hoping to combine the two," he happily shared.

Gaara felt his jaw tense at the memory and his lips pursed around the filter. "No, I'll be alright," he answered while the smoke still crawled from his mouth and nose.

"Thanks for the offer though," he softly added though very little felt genuine about his word.

"Would you like me to walk you to the tube again?" The blond asked as he fished his bicycle keys from his pocket.

Gaara gave Naruto a wry smile before he nodded.

"Sure"

* * *

Alrighty!

Reply to TigrezzTail;

"You make a good point, in all honestly I'm strongly against driving in any state of intoxication (including pot) though I don't imagine that Gaara actually owns a car or drives. I figure that they actually live in a city centre and unles Kankuro is going somewhere the main way of getting around is either Public transportation, walking or pushbikes. But maybe that's cause I'm from a small country and who needs a car when you've got less than shitty trains, busses and a pushbike :'D"

I had already replied via pm, but to every one whom had the same thing bothering them, here you go C:

But thanks for reading C:


	7. Chapter Six a claim for affection

Okay! Big chapter, loads of shit and an NSFW warning. Enjoy C:

* * *

The lock clicked and Gaara opened the front door to the building that was squished into a wall of its kin. He followed the narrow stairs up to the third floor where he opened the door to a trail of clothing that laid scattered over the laminate floor. He closed the door and his eyes as he rested his head against the wood. A deep sigh passed his lips and briefly he pulled his head away. Like it was too heavy for his neck he dropped it back against the door. Again he closed his eyes and listened to see if he was going to make an extra stroll around the block. He heard voices, but nothing that seemed far from casual conversation. With a grunt he decided to pick up the pieces of clothing that made a trail to Kankuro's bedroom and softly knocked on the door.

"Kankuro, please pick up after your own mess," he said as laid the clothes on the couch before he turned to his brother. A small frown twisted into his face when he noticed one of Naruto's friends in the bed as well.

The young Inuzuka gave him an unfazed look as he stretched his body that was still half covered under the sheets.

"What is it, Gaara, I'm still kinda busy," he sighed as he tried to suppress the annoyance in his voice.

Teal eyes were ripped loose from the other man and quickly he looked at Kankuro again. "How do I get a guy to like me?" He asked a little absently as he tried not to look at Kiba, who, on his behalf stared holes into him.

There was a brief moment in which the oldest brunet stared at his little brother before he looked to Kiba and back. Finally Kankuro decided how to respond. He wrinkled his nose and made a face.

"I'll tell you what I told Temari, jiggle your tits and let him bang you," He uttered through a faint and somewhat forced grin. It quickly turned into the expression a child would have when he finally won its parents approval when Kiba burst out laughing. His face grew a little grim again when he turned back to Gaara and he found his little brother glaring murder and daggers at him. He scraped his throat and stared down to the ground before he gave Gaara a sorry smile.

"Hahah, really funny Kankuro," the redhead spat before he stormed out of the room and slammed the door behind him.

"Oh shit," Kankuro hissed as he got up and snatched a pair of boxers from the ground. "Gaara! Wait!" He stumbled after the younger man. Once he had his boxers over his hips he managed to catch up with Gaara on the other end of the apparent in front his bedroom door.

"Don't you have more jokes to make about us to your new boyfriend?" Gaara snapped and Kankuro flinched.

"Honestly, we're...uhm...fuck-buddies...at best," he softly said with a shrug. "I'm sorry little bro, what happened?" He asked as he stepped away and made room for the other to follow his first few steps to the kitchen. With a small sigh Gaara watched his brother move before he traced his steps and followed.

Like a beaten puppy Gaara looked down at the surface of the table as he dropped his weight into a chair. He picked up one of his brother's cigarettes and from the corner of his eyes he watched the brunette make the both of them some coffee.

"Oi! Kiba! You want some coffee?!" He shouted in the general direction of his open door.

"Nah! Imma go out soon!" Was the reply from the other end of the house.

"Alright!" He shouted back a bit softer before he put two cups out and sat down as well.

"So, spill your guts," Kankuro said as he picked up a cigarette of his own.

Pale lips twisted into a thin line as Gaara kept his silence like he was a caught informant. Not a second later Kiba came out of into the kitchen, fully dressed and gave Kankuro a hard pat on the back which effectively made him hiss.

"Goddamnit!" He spat through his teeth as he glared at the young brunet. As soon as their faces met Kiba pulled Kankuro into a rough kiss by his hair. The redhead made a face and looked away until they broke up.

"See you later, _fuck-buddy_ ," Kiba spitefully grinned as he wiped his mouth.

Kankuro made a pained face at the words and wiped his mouth as well. "I'll phone you!" He called after the younger brunette who was just at the door. With a broad grin he turned around to face the older man again.

"Don't bother, I'll call you," he winked Before he closed the door behind him.

"Naruto thought we were out as friends," he sighed as he rested his head on the table and stared at the now closed door.

"Ahw, I'm sorry to hear that," Kankuro patted the younger man and stood up to pick up the two mugs from underneath the coffee machine. He placed Gaara's mug in front of the redhead in the centre of the table and lit his cigarette."Do you want me to beat the crap out of him?" He asked half jokingly and sat down with his own mug.

A watery smile curled into Gaara's lips and slowly he shook his head as he sat up straight again. "Maybe if I were still a child," he softly laughed and cupped his mug. His eyes moved down to look at the dark liquid in front of him and softly he sighed into his coffee. He picked up Kankuro's lighter and lit his own cigarette as well.

"So, what than?" Kankuro asked as he exhaled a cloud of smoke.

Gaara set his mouth to the mug and tested the heat before he placed it in front of him again. "I honestly don't know," he sighed.

"Maybe..." He started before he felt the corners of his mouth pull back and a frown tie into his face, "maybe you should try and move on from him?" He tried and leaned further over the table. "Or just make your intensions clear to him, but you can't continue to just blindly follow him," Kankuro finished as he turned his concerned expression to the table.

A humourless snort of laughter escaped Gaara. "Funny, Shikamaru said the same," he said and he sighed a sorrowful sigh.

"Maybe because it's a good idea?" Kankuro tried through an hopeful smile. A brief silence fell and both men stared into their coffees while they smoked away the last bits of their cigarettes.

"Please just do something though, I mean, if you keep coming back like this I might actually beat the crap out of him for hurting you," he tried through a watery smile and softly he pinched Gaara's cheek in a manner that wasn't foreign to Temari.

With a weak smile Gaara swatted away the hand but chuckled softly nonetheless. "Kankuro, we're grown men,"

"But you'll always be my little brother,"

* * *

"Naruto, this is hard for me to say, but I have to be firm, for too long I've let my emotions and feelings towards you blind me, you saved me twice and forever I will be loyal to you, but for my peace of mind I have to let you know that I am honestly in love with you, I want to be your partner rather than a friend and I hope you understand that if this is not a possibility, I might have to stop seeing you for a while," he took a deep breath and nodded to himself as he rehearsed the words once more. Again he took a deep breath and exhaled the nerves that had crawled up to his throat before he knocked on Naruto's front door.

In silence he counted the seconds before the lock clicked and the door was opened.

"Gaara! What brings you here today?! Come in, come in!" He urged the redhead and stepped aside.

With a grim look on his face Gaara stepped into the tiny apartment before he sat down on the bed in the lack of an actual couch. Behind him Naruto closed the door again and felt his happy smile fade when he took a better look at the other man.

"What's wrong?" He asked as he stepped further into his apartment.

Thickly the redhead swallowed before he looked up from the ground. The box that Hinata had dropped off still laid in the same half unpacked manner as it laid so many weeks ago and the only addition to the table was a toy ring. He recognised it as the one Naruto had given Hinata as a gift two years ago.

"Oh god! Please tell me nothing bad happened?!" Naruto kneeled besides Gaara and placed his hand atop of the redhead's lap.

Gaara cocked his head to the side slightly and shook his head. His lips were pressed together and with a soft whimper he looked down to the tan hands on his lap.

"Gaara?" He reached up and cupped the man's cheek. Without a thought the smaller man closed his eyes and leaned into the touch. "What's wrong?" He asked as he got up and sat on the coffee table so that he sat straight across from the other man.

Pale lips parted but his tongue failed to twist into the words he had wanted to say for years now.

"Nothing, I'm just sad," he finally managed to force out.

A sad smile of relief curled into Naruto's lips and he leaned forwards. His forehead pressed against Gaara's and with a soft sigh he closed his eyes. "That sucks, I'm here for you though," he said as his hand slipped further over Gaara's lap and got a hold of his wrist. His thumb caressed thick scar tissue before both of them pulled away.

"You had me scared there for a moment!" Naruto nervously laughed and scratched the back of his head. "The last time you had that look on your face you almost..." He trailed off and let go of Gaara's wrist, "well you know," he shrugged.

A wry smile curled into Gaara's lips and slowly he shook his head. "No worries, I'm not going to kill myself," he reassured the blond.

"Good! Cause if you'd do I'd have to kick your ass from the afterlife for leaving us!" He grinned broadly and stood up. "If you want to smoke inside you know what to do," Naruto said as he put the kettle.

A faint smile curled into Gaara's lips and he turned around to open the window. Not much later Naruto came back with a mug full of instant coffee and a small makeshift ashtray.

"Thanks," the redhead said as he fished the package from his pocket along side the lighter and tossed both on the table in front of him.

Neither of them said anything as Naruto turned on the telly and draped himself over Gaara like a protective blanket. That's the way it has always gone.

"I forgot to ask the other day but.."

Gaara looked to where Naruto had rested his head on his shoulder and hummed.

"Who won monopoly?"

A small snort of laughter escaped Gaara and slowly he shook his head. "Shikamaru, he absolutely crushed Kankuro and me, though Temari came a close second," he smiled a little brighter.

"Was your favourite game as a child again?" He asked and cocked his head to the side slightly so he could see part of Naruto.

The blond hummed and pursed his lips, "me and granpa Jiraiya used to play toad catching," he grinned broadly. "Mom and dad weren't happy when I came back with buckets full of toads though," he snickered. "How about you? I don't think you've ever told me your favourite childhood game,"

Gaara wrinkled his nose, "I never really played games with my family, my uncle maybe," he shrugged. "Dad was always busy with work and neither Temari, nor Kankuto ever played with me as a child," he frowned.

"Reverse childhood?" Naruto asked.

Softly Gaara chuckled, "almost right?" He said and picked up his mug. "I remember having a stuffed bear that I carried with me until I was ten,"

"Even to school?" Naruto asked as he climbed off Gaara and sat next to him instead.

"Especially to school," he said as he picked up a cigarette and lit it. "He was my only friend for the longest time, though he was a bit bossy," Gaara joked the last bit.

A small laugh escaped Naruto, "sometimes I wonder if you were legally allowed to quit your meds," he joked and nudged the other man.

"Same could be said about you mister; I use my ADD to get out of trouble in school," Gaara grinned into his coffee.

"Okay, okay, you caught me," Naruto raised his hands in defeat. "But in my defence, what's the point of having a disorder in which you can't concentrate because your thoughts are going a thousand miles per hour if you can't actually use it as a lame excuse for when you may or may not have been playing Mario cart instead of studying?!" The blond exclaimed.

Gaara gave Naruto an amused frown and slowly he shook his head in response.

"It doesn't work anymore though, Sakura told our supervisor that I do actually take my Ritalin regularly," he moaned.

"I'm sure you'll find new excuse," the redhead patted his friend on the shoulder before he killed his cigarette.

"Someday!" Naruto cocked his head back and rested the back of his hand against his forehead in a dramatic manner. He was snapped out of his little theatrics when an alarm on his phone started buzzing. Quickly the blonde picked it up and turned it off.

"Well, I'm sorry to say but my shift starts soon," he said and got up. From a hanger that rested atop a door he picked up a beige overall and folded it to fit into his backpack. "Feel free to stay around, you know how to lock the door," he continued as he picked his lunch and drinks from the little fridge and shoved it into the backpack as well. Gaara just sat there but watched in great fascination how organised the blond could be with the help of his phone.

"I'll text you, aight?" Naruto said as he pulled the backpack over his shoulder and picked his pushbike keys off the counter.

With a small smile he watched Naruto make a final check in all of his pockets. "Yeah, sure,"

"I've got an early shift on..." He quickly checked his phone, "Thursday, you'd like me to come over then?" He asked as he forced his feet into brown boots.

A thoughtful hum escaped Gaara and quickly he nodded, "yeah, that sounds good," he smiled and watched Naruto stop for a moment in the doorstep.

"Alright, see you when I look at ya!" He said and quickly waved Gaara goodbye.

"Bye," Gaara lamely waved his hand a little before the door was closed. With a soft sigh he placed his mug back on the table and dropped sideways. He wasn't sure whether he felt better or worse and with a groan of frustration he curled up in the bed.

"Goddamnit Gaara, every single time you do this," he sighed and silently stared at the little ring that seemed to stare back at him.

* * *

"Sometimes I like to imagine I'm a ninja," Naruto stared up at the ceiling while his hands traced aimless patterns on Gaara's back. His fingers had slipped underneath the loose fitting ACDC shirt a long time ago and now it was shoved up around his armpits.

A small confused yet humoured frown curled into his features and slowly he looked up to Naruto, "a ninja? Why would you want to be a ninja?" Gaara softly asked as his own hand traced random patterns on the blond's chest.

A bright smile curled into Naruto's lips as bloodshot eyes met one another. "Ninja's are cool! They've got all these cool weapons and powers!" He started with the enthusiasm of a young child. Gaara still stared at the blond with nothing short of curiosity as Naruto looked back the the ceiling like it was the most interesting thing on earth.

"But, like, we're all ninja's in my imagination!" He happily continued.

"Really," Gaara blinked and inched a little closer. "What kind of ninja am I?" He asked through a curious smile.

"A really cool one, like, you can move sand with your mind and shit, and you're really strong!" The caressing his fingers had done stopped so his hands could emphasise his point.

A small smile grew a little brighter on Gaara's face and briefly he looked down to the sandy coloured loose fitting gipsy pants. "I miss the desert," he softly said, as one of his hands graced over the red flowers that crawled up from his ankles.

"You're just not really strong physically," Naruto grinned in a cheeky manner and slowly rolled on top of the redhead.

There wasn't much resistance on Gaara's side and with a soft 'oof' he let the other man roll him onto his back. "I can see why that is," he smiled faintly.

"Yeah, well, I like you for you, so... it's ...uhm... It's alright...if you're not..." Naruto started and trailed off when their faces slowly grew closer until their lips met. Bottled up desire on both ends broke through the cracks as their kiss quickly grew heated. Hands reached for skin as they gripped each other tightly.

"Fuck," Naruto breathed into Gaara's ear as they broke from each other. "I wanted to do this ever since the movies," he softly admitted.

"Me too," Gaara admitted in the same breathless manner as he felt Naruto's hands laced around his shirt. He lifted his torso so that it could be pulled off and his own hands plucked Naruto's shirt away in an equally rushed manner.

The shirts were thrown off the beds and with both hands on his waist, Naruto threw Gaara on top of him as they rolled back the other way. The redhead straddled on Naruto's stomach and he placed his hand on his now bare chest.

"It was an hellish eternity!" The blond fake pouted.

A small amused smile grew a little brighter into his lips, "it was two and a half weeks," Gaara softly corrected him.

"Eternity!" Naruto squeezed the narrow and bony hips between his hands. Fingers trailed up over Gaara's angled body and slowly followed the curves of his pale skin over ribs that stuck out slightly.

"You look so fragile," Naruto absently muttered while Gaara's hands roamed the tanned skin beneath him. A small frown tied into the redhead's brows when he heard those words and his cheeks gained a rosy colour. He felt muscles tense and relax under the skin as his soft touches continued to explore Naruto's chest. Slowly he slid back and hummed softly as he rested on the blond's lap. Gaara's eyes looked down to himself and the large tanned hands that held him.

Pale hands slowly lifted off Naruto as they almost stepped towards his shoulders instead. The pair of hands on his body moved up as he leaned forwards. His back arched when he felt fingers trace the vertebra in his spine. His upper body obediently lowered when his shoulder-blades were caressed. His eyes had closed ages ago and blindly he bend to fit Naruto's every touch. The hands moved on and traced his collar bones while his own hands did the same. Gaara opened his eyes again and smiled at how mesmerised the blond looked. Once more he lowered his head and he locked their lips into a soft kiss that quickly deepened.

The wondering hands moved down from Gaara's torso and back to his hips. Cautiously the fingers inched further back until they waited on the edge of the redhead's ass. There was a moment in which neither men were sure what to do and they broke the kiss. Moist lips remained pressed up against each other and curiously Naruto peeked through one of his eyes before he quickly closed it again. Time seemed to have stopped for a moment until Gaara moved again. He bucked his hips into the touch and gave Naruto's lower lip a quick lick that was hastily replied. Naruto pulled down the elastic waistband and the soft fabric slid down pale legs only to stop where knees met the bed. The blond was hardly surprised when he found more bone than flesh, he didn't expect the other man to have the soft curves he had grown used to. In the end, Naruto loved every inch of skin Gaara let him touch.

A whine of complaint was uttered when the redhead broke himself loose from Naruto's mouth and sat up straight. With little effort he wiggled himself out of the blond's grip and laid down next to him where he pulled his pants down completely and threw it too the other end of the bed. With a great deal of curiosity blue eyes followed the gipsy pants before he clicked on and got rid of his own pants as well. In a hasty manner he fiddled with his button and zipper. Once he had rushed his trousers off Naruto turned back to the other man and pressed a quick kiss against his lips before he slid down between his legs. Gaara looked down at how the wild mop of blond hair settled between his legs and loudly he swallowed away saliva too thick.

"Is..uhm..?" He softly mumbled into the pale thigh while his fingers rested at the elastic waistband of Gaara's boxers.

Eyes with dilated pupils met, heartbeats drummed a steady baseline and breaths laid on the borderline of pants.

"It's..uhm... Yeah.." Gaara softly stumbled over his words and he lifted his hips slightly when Naruto pulled away the last piece of clothing. His erection sprang out the moment his boxers were moved and nearly slapped Naruto in the face as it bounced.

"Is this...?" Gaara couldn't find his own voice when the other man gently grabbed the base and set his lips against the tip.

"No," Naruto breathed before he swallowed the head.

A gasp escaped through swollen lips before Gaara closed his eyes. He let out a breathy moan of approval when Naruto swallowed more and exhaled a warm breath on the remaining skin. Naruto's cheeks hollowed and he started bobbing his head. With half lidded eyes he stared at what was going on between his legs and soft pants grew louder as the blond progressed. Naruto looked up as he sucked a little harder and their eyes met. Quickly Gaara looked away when he was caught peeking and with a 'pop' the blond pulled away.

"You're face is the same colour as your hair," Naruto softly said through a crooked smile.

He sat up as well and brushed some hair out of Gaara's face, while, with a soft grunt the redhead looked away. The hand slipped to his mouth and caressed the lower lip. On his turn Gaara parted his lips and let the thumb grace the top of his teeth.

"Do you wanna try?" The words were whispered like it was a secret.

The thumb was pushed a little further and eagerly Gaara swallowed. His tongue twisted around the digit before he gave it a soft nibble. He parted his teeth and Naruto removed his finger again. Without a word the blond inched backwards off the bed and Gaara followed until he was kneeling on the edge. Slender fingers worked their way around the waistband and hastily pulled them down. A hand tangled into his red hair and brushed it out of his face while the other one wrapped around the member in front of him. He opened his mouth when the tip was pressed up against his lips. One of Gaara's hands moved off the mattress and found balance on tanned hips. Slowly he leaned further down as he closed his eyes and started to move his head. The tongue that once rested motionless in his mouth gave the bottom of the head a lick and briefly pulled away. The soft moan he heard when his lips away from the head.

His eyes opened eyes and looked up to Naruto before he opened his mouth again and sucked the tip between pursed lips. His fingers replaced Naruto's and with a deep exhale through his nose he swallowed more until he found his gag reflex and he wiped his mouth clean.

"Enough?" Naruto asked as he kneeled down and pressed a kiss against the corner of Gaara's mouth.

"I'm not entirely sure how I feel about doing that, but I guess I'll get used to it," the redhead said with a shrug.

"I hope you do," he smiled and sat down on the bed again. Gaara blinked at him before he climbed on top of the blond's lap and rested his head into his shoulder.

"The top drawer," Gaara softly said.

A confused frown tied into Naruto's brows and he wrapped his arms around the other man. "What's with the top drawer?"

For a second Gaara nibbled his lower lip and contemplated whether or not he wanted to call it quits and turn back. The cock that twitched against his ass had him shiver and make his mind up rather instantly.

"Lube, and condoms, they're in the top drawer in my nightstand," he breathed against Naruto's skin.

There was a moment in which the blond seemed frozen on the spot. "You've got condoms..." He stammered before he leaned and pushed Gaara back slightly by his shoulders.

"Yeah..." He muttered and lifted his hand from the redhead's shoulder to reach for the nightstand. Aimlessly his hand grasped empty hair until he finally found himself able to tear away from Gaara's half lidded stare. "I...uhm...I can't.." He tried to make out some proper words.

"Oh..oh! Oh yeah!" Gaara uttered as he noticed they were sitting too far away. Quickly he stumbled off the blond and rolled onto the bed. With a small nervous smile on his face he watched Naruto fished both a bottle of lubricant and an unopened pack of condoms. With a blank stare the blond placed both items on the nightstand and fiddled with the drawer as he closed it. Slowly he climbed atop of Gaara again and pressed their lips together. Without a fight the redhead leaned back into the bed while his hand reached up. He laced his fingers into Naruto's hair and gave it a gentle tug. His legs opened as the blond climbed and settled between them. Their kiss deepened before Naruto's is hand slid down the other's side, down to his leg and he lifted it over his back. Eagerly Gaara's leg wrapped around his waist and slowly they grinned into each other in a fashion that could put horny teenagers to shame. Naruto's hands slipped into the red hair on the mattress until they broke apart again. With laboured breaths they sat up and Naruto picked up the bottle of lube while Gaara rolled on his stomach. The weight on the bed shifted when the blond climbed on top of the pale man.

With a small nervous grin Naruto grabbed the redhead's hips and pushed his ass into the air. He popped the cap and poured some of the liquid over his index and middle fingers. A cold shiver ran down Gaara's spine when the fingers slid down his ass and pressed against his anus. Gently they probed the ring of muscles and Gaara sucked in air through his teeth when the fingers pushed through with relative ease. His legs spread apart a little further as they pushed deeper. A long sigh escaped passed his lips as he nuzzled his face further into the mattress and loosened his grip on the sheets. His skin grew feverish and his stomach felt hot as they started moving faster. Pants passed parted pale lips and Naruto's free hand moved over his own leg. His fingers wrapped around his cock and slowly the blond started jerking himself with his free hand. He pulled his fingers out and quickly they picked open the wrapper of the box of condoms.

Gaara turned his head slightly and watched as surprisingly quick fingers picked apart the wrapper and pulled the latex over his cock. He rubbed a little bit more lube over it and positioned it against Gaara's ass before he slowly pushed himself deeper into the other man. A soft breathy moan escaped Naruto as his hips pressed into the redhead's backside. A wave of pleasure washed through his lower abdomen when he pushed into him along side a small sting of faint pain. He inched in and out and soft breaths grew loud as the feelings intensified. Gaara stared at the the wardrobe and his face grew bright red when he noticed his mirror reflection. The redhead bit his lower lip and he watched the twitchy movements slowly grew into full thrusts. A more vocal moan escapes him when Naruto grabbed his hips and slammed into him. A heat wave of pleasure rushed to his groin that sparked a desire for the rough manhandling despite the slight pain. With the sudden noise however a somewhat startled Naruto instantly stopped.

"Oh! God please tell me I didn't hurt you!" The blond called as he leaned and tried to actually see Gaara's face.

Teal eyes tore away from his mirror reflection and looked back at half of a worried face and half of his shoulder.

"No, no...don't worry," he softly started. "I...I think kind of like that.." Gaara confessed before he lifted his torso off the mattress and braced his hands against the edge of the headboard.

"Oh..." Naruto said in the lack of a better response. "Do you want me to continue like that?" He absently continued.

"Y-yeah," he hang his head and softly answered.

Like told the blond held his hands on Gaara's hips and pushed and pulled them accordingly. The pace sped up and Naruto's movements became jagged when he felt heat twist a tight knot into his abdomen. Muffled moans, grunts and pants had replaced all speech or thought when movements grew desperate and shallow. With a hazy stare he watched Naruto's facial expression twist up with pleasure as he rammed himself into Gaara a few last times before his movements slowed. Slowly he pulled out and rolled the rubber of his prick before he tossed it in the rubbish.

With a soft sigh Gaara dropped his torso on the bed and rubbed his legs together. Despite that lovely feeling in his head that could only be likened to candy floss, he still didn't feel entirely satisfied. He laid down on his stomach and frowned at the wet feeling between his thighs before he, without warning was flipped over. He gasped but didn't fight when he saw that Naruto pulled open his legs and settled between them. Without a word he once more wrapped his lips around his still hard member and started fingering him once more. One of Gaara's legs moved and was draped over Naruto's back. Pants grew loud again and the redhead quickly found himself overwhelmed when a tongue twisted around his member and fingers fucked him with the same eagerness and haste. His body tensed up and tightened around Naruto.

No words were needed and Naruto pulled his mouth off his cock when the salty taste of pre-cum dripped over his tongue. Not a second later Gaara grew completely silent and he came on his own chest. Slowly the blond moved away from the other man and dropped down next to him on the bed.

Covered in a layer of their own sweat their pants ebbed away to soft breaths and their bodies grew cold. Gaara opened his eyes again and blinked a few times when he noticed Naruto was smiling at him. He wanted to say something but his mind refused to come up with words of any kind except for;

"Well that was different from what I had expected," he finally said and broke the long silence.

"Is that good or bad?" Naruto asked as he rolled to his back as well.

"Neither, it was different," Gaara repeated. "But if it will make you feel better, this was the best sex of my life," Gaara softly said.

At first a proud expression washed over Naruto before he realised the implications and quickly a rather concerned frown replaced it. "I thought you were a virgin?" He said and cocked his head towards the other man.

A small smile curled into Gaara's lips and he too faced towards his friend, "I was, that's the joke," he said and his hand crawled over the bed only to lace his fingers into Naruto's.

"Eh, still counts as best, I'll take it," the blond shrugged and squeezed the hand that now rested in his.

A comfortable silence grew between them again as neither had anything to say.

"Would you like to take a shower with me?" Gaara finally asked.

Naruto shot up with a broad grin on his face "dibs on washing you!" He called and hopped off the mattress slowly followed by Gaara. As the redhead stood up and followed Naruto, an uneasy feeling settled in his stomach.

* * *

Yaaay! Gaara made a funny. I love how Kankuro's thought process in this chapter literally is; "hah! See, I can be funny! I'm fucking funny! Oh..oh! Gaara doesn't look that amused..oh shit! He's proper pissed! Oh god! Oh no! Nononono! Gaara! I swear it was a joke! You don't understand! I still want to stick my dick in this guy! Please don't tell Temari! I never actually said that to her face!"

Also, I find the power dynamic between them kinda interesting, I've always had this feeling that Gaara had a massive man-crush on Naruto (it might just be the fan-girl in me) but I found it a funny thing how highly Gaara always spoke of Naruto and even went so far as to help out get Sasuke back in the original series. I always found they had this kind of 'Naruto says jump and Gaara asks how high' dynamic to them. This might also be because I think that Naruto was considered Gaara's real friend and the fact that he seems to look up to Naruto.

Moving on, yes, I am convinced that Naruto has ADD and I don't think people will blame me. Whenever I do an AU thing with them, you're more than likely to find it in some way shape or form.

Anyhow! Thanks for reading!


	8. One step forwards, ten back

Oh my god! I'm so sorry for the late update! To be quite honest I've been busy pretending to be an adult, and I've been kind of preoccupied with my new job. Anyhow, here's the next chapter and I'll try to be faster next time.

* * *

Early morning light peeked through an opening between the curtains that lit up the room. The sound of soft breathing exhaled in the sandy coloured walls with a faint amount of tranquility and a small self satisfied feeling settled in the pits of Gaara's guts. He had woken up with Naruto pressed up against his slender body still very much asleep. The blond was drooling over a pillow he had stolen of Gaara in his sleep while his own pillow laid on the ground next to the bed. The redhead couldn't find it in himself to get annoyed over it and instead he settled against Naruto's chest where he tried to sleep once more. He was however severely disappointed but not very surprised when he found that task to be very difficult. Bitter disappointment did not last long and instead the small amount of fear that had settled its roots into his gut grew and flowered when Naruto seemed to wake up. His mind flatlined and his heart skipped a beat as panic seemed to have broken his brain for a moment. Quickly he laid still and closed his eyes.

It started with soft groans and grunts of complaint. After followed wiggling and other small restless movements. Finally eyes opened once before they closed once more with a small grunt. A yawn and again eyes opened. With half lidded eyes and a frown Naruto wiped the cold drool off his face with the back of his hand. He grunted softly at the feeling before he wiped his hand clean on the sheets and smacked his lips a few times. Gaara couldn't help but count all the movements as he had steadily observed Naruto's waking up ritual. He Could pinpoint the moment Naruto would moan in complaint one last time before he opened his eyes and stared blankly at the ceiling. Gaara barely managed to suppress a small smile as he continued to watch the blond through his eyelashes.

Naruto sighed deeply before he looked to his side and noticed the mop of red hair that rested partly in his armpit and partly in on his chest. His eyes moved to the arm that supported Gaara's head before he looked back to the redhead.

"Gaara..." Naruto wrapped his arm around the other man and shook him in a testing manner.

Gaara hummed and instead dug his face further into the man's side.

"Gaara, you're in my armpit," the blond grinned and teasingly squeezed his arm a little tighter around Gaara's head.

"Naruto!" Gaara raised his voice as he tried to wiggle free.

"Alright, alright," Naruto exhaled a few laughs and freed the redhead from his armpit of nasty odours.

With a deep breath Gaara gasped for fresh air as he pulled his head away and with a soft grunt he laid down again. He closed his eyes and yawned as well. "You suck," he softly complained in a half hearted manner.

"You know it," Naruto grinned and the pale face against his chest grew red. When the blond found himself in the lack of a verbal reply he looked down and their eyes locked. A half smile tugged nervously at the corner of Gaara's mouth and the blond replied it with a smile so warm it could melt ice.

"Do you regret last night?" Naruto's question caught Gaara off guard and briefly his smile faded before it was replaced with a more thoughtful expression.

"No," he said as he thought back to the times he just about ripped his own cock off while he imagined the blond take his virginity. "Not in the slightest,"

Naruto nodded with a hum. "Good," he said through the same warm smile and he gave Gaara a gentle squeeze. He stared at the ceiling again before he wiggled his arm from under the redhead. Once free he stretched his body and reached for the sky as he did so. Once he relaxed again he found Gaara instantly pressed up against him and his hands laced into the red hair.

"There's something I've been wondering.." Naruto started as he still absently stared at the ceiling.

With a curious expression Gaara looked up and inched further over his chest. "Shoot," he said.

"The condoms and lube, did you expect this? Y'know, since we're friends with benefits and all," he looked back to the redhead from the corner of his eye.

Friends with benefits, he had wished he forgot about that. "It's for me," he simply answered.

Naruto arched an eyebrow. "For you?" He repeated.

Gaara nodded and looked back over to the blond who still gave him the same questioning look. "I don't like to make a mess when I masturbate," He dead panned.

"Aaaaaahhh," he felt his curiosity put to rest. With his free hand he turned to alarm clock towards him and groaned. "Fuck. I have to go to work," Naruto threw his head back.

With a soft sigh Gaara places his hands on the mattress and lifted his upper body. With a small smile he looked at Naruto who pulled a pillow over his head. "Duty calls," he cocked his head to the side.

"I'm not here!" Naruto cried underneath the pillow before the redhead carefully grabbed a corner and lifted it.

"Really? Than who are you?" He asked as he lowered his head to look underneath the pillow.

"A ghost," Naruto grinned as he turned his face towards the redhead.

With an amused frown Gaara lifted himself off the mattress again and threw the pillow to the other end of the bed. "Maybe I should go back to my meds if I'm seeing ghosts," he calmly said and with a loud moan, Naruto got up.

"It's not fair!" He cried in a child like manner and threw his head back. "You don't have to work!" He said as he picked up his boxers.

"I've been deemed unfit for work," Gaara said in a cork dry manner.

"How come unfit? Aside from smoking you're fine," the blond complained as he pushed his feet through the legs of his trousers.

In reply Gaara just tapped the side of his head and an even louder moan was drained out of the blond.

"You lucky bastard!" Naruto threw his hands in the air before he quickly caught the pants that dropped off his hips again. When he noticed the non-amused expression that Gaara wore, the blond stopped dead in his tracks and realised he might've said something he shouldn't have.

"I'd really like to work, you know?" The redhead said with a blank expression.

Naruto nibbled his lower lip before he scraped his throat and quickly he picked up his shirt. "I know, I'm sorry," he said as he dropped down on the bed next to Gaara. He lifted his arm and held it out and the redhead dropped against the man's side.

Instead of words Gaara closed his eyes and exhaled a loud sigh. "You're an idiot sometimes," he said through a faint smile and with some effort he pulled away.

"Isn't that why you like me?" Naruto asked through a cheeky grin.

Gaara rolled his eyes. "That among other things," he got up and placed his hands in his side.

"Well, if it makes you feel better the only reason I'm so bummed out that I have to go to work is cause I have to leave," he looked up to Gaara with an hopeful smile.

The redhead didn't even want to smile but he couldn't help it and a small blush coloured his pale skin. He crossed his arms over his chest and his smile turned to an amused one. "Do you still have time for breakfast?" He asked as he cocked his hip.

The both of them looked to the clock and Naruto bit his lip. "I've got a shift that starts at noon tomorrow, can we do it then?" He asked.

A sad smile tugged his lips and knowingly Gaara nodded. "Yeah, we'll have breakfast tomorrow," he said and dropped his hands to let them hang besides his body.

With a huff the blond got up and pulled his shirt over his torso and Gaara did the same as he followed the other man into the kitchen that separated his room from Kankuro's.

"Good morning!" Naruto greeted the other man like an obnoxious ray of sunshine that for some reason managed to shine exactly into your face.

Kankuro sat at the table, showered and dressed with his eyes closed and his hands clasped around a mug of coffee. When the only reply he got was a grunt, Naruto decided to move on. He was walked to the door by Gaara where they lamely waved each other goodbye before the door was closed and locked again.

"Gaara, I don't mind you having people over, but do you insist on being around loud people?" He frowned at the redhead as he sat down as well.

Gaara shrugged. "People quickly seem talkative next to me," he simply replied as he picked up a cigarette and lit it.

"It's probably none of my business," Kankuro started out of a long silence. "But did you tell him yet?" He arched a brow.

Gaara sighed and held his head. "I'm working on it, I...I just have to find the right moment,"

* * *

"Aren't you supposed to go to work?" Both men laid motionless on the bed. Gaara let his hands aimlessly trail over the headboard while Naruto had his spread over the foot-end.

The blond shrugged. "I should but I really can't be arsed getting up," he threw his head back and stared at the ceiling. A soft huff escaped him. "It's a Saturday, no one will blame me if I call in sick" he said and let his hand wander over to one of Gaara's feet. He grabbed a pinkie toe and wiggled it around before the foot was pulled away.

"Don't touch my feet Naruto, that's filthy," he cringed and laid his foot back on the original spot.

"You and your foot phobia," Naruto laughed as he sat up straight and grabbed the redhead's toes with both hands.

"No! No! Naruto! Nononono!" Helplessly Gaara kicked his feet as he tried to get away and stopped when he heard a loud wince. "Oh god! Did I kick you in the face?" He asked as he pulled his foot down and noticed Naruto held his face.

"You have to kiss it better," the blond grinned and with a soft sigh and a small smile Gaara picked away the tanned hands before he pressed a soft kiss against the bone.

"Better?" He finally asked.

"Heaps," Naruto smiled and brushed some of the red hair out of the man's paled face. "You don't mind me hanging around here right?"

"You're always welcome," he said through a small smile and leaned into the touch. The hand moved down to Gaara's chest and slowly pushed him down back into the bed again.

Naruto climbed on top of the redhead and fingers slipped to the edges of his shirt and slipped underneath over the skin. The hands were stopped before they could move up and with a dumbfounded expression Naruto blinked at the redhead.

"Is something wrong?" He asked and slipped his hands from under the shirt.

Gaara gave the blond a sorry smile. "I'm just not really in the mood" he explained and Naruto inched away. He too sat up when the blond gave him some more space and he readjusted his shirt.

The two sat each on an end of the bed and an uncomfortable silence fell between them. Naruto nibbled at his lower lip and swallowed before he opened his mouth.

"Are you sure you're alright with this? You know, the whole friends with benefits thing?" He asked as he cocked his head a little to the side.

Gaara looked up to the blond with a blank expression before he averted his eyes to his lap and frowned. His heart drummed a loud rhythm in his ribcage and he hummed a sort of uncomfortable noise. "Well about that.." He started in a manner that seemed soft compared to his usual hushed tone.

Thickly Naruto swallowed at the start of that sentence and a pang of panic exploded in his chest and seeped through every fibre of his being. The corners of his mouth pulled back and he remained frozen on the spot.

"I...uhm... I don't think this is working for me," he finally said, but not in the way he had practiced.

"Oh," Naruto's expression was blank before an hopeful smile lot it up again. "Well, we can just go back to being friends again, right?" He tried and inched a little closer.

The sight made Gaara's heart ache and he moved away. "I don't..." He started, his mind was racing and his mouth was dry. "I'm sorry Naruto, I... I don't think I can," he paused.

"Can what?" The blond asked, almost demanded in a soft and worried tone.

Gaara pulled up his legs to his chest and dipped his head into the crevice between his knees and his chest. "I don't think I can go back to being friends, Naruto," he whispered.

"What do you mean, why?!" He now raised his voice. "You said we could go back to being friends!"

"I... I know, it's just," he continued to stammer as looked around his room in the faint hope that the right words would be written for him somewhere.

"It's just what?! Gaara! Why can't we be friends anymore?! I thought we'd always be friends no matter what!" Naruto now nearly shouted.

"I just can't follow you around like a lost dog, it hurts me too much to do so," he tried to explain.

"But you s-" Naruto was cut of by the redhead as he suddenly found his voice.

"I was wrong...Okay?! I was wrong! This is exactly the reason I didn't want to say anything!" Gaara barked back as he pulled his head up from his legs. "I love you...I've got these serious feelings and I had hoped that you would pick up on the hint!" He now nearly shouted with a somewhat raspy voice.

"Why didn't you just say something to me?!" Naruto threw his arms in the air and got up from the bed. "Y'know, talking isn't that hard!"

"Well I'm talking now! And see what happened?!" Gaara got up as well and moved to the edge of the bed.

"After we fucked, you drop this bombshell on me?!" He called out in anger.

Gaara's face heated up in anger and he too stood on his feet. "What do you mean I'm only telling you this now?! We talked about this when we got into this mess! I told you in that fucking pub!" He screeched.

"I didn't think you meant that!" Naruto raised his hands in defence.

The anger disappeared and instead he stood there, dumbfounded at what he just heard. "You...come again?" Gaara stammered before it finally sank in. He deeply inhaled and his expression twisted up in rage again. "You..." He lowly growled. "You bloody fuckwit! God motherfucking damnit, where on earth do you get off thinking that?! Honest to fuck! What on earth did you think I was trying to tell?!" The redhead yelled and he too threw his arm in the air.

"I don't know okay!" Naruto finally finished and both glared at each other in silence. "Fuck this," the blond huffed as he turned around and stomped out of the room.

"Don't you run away for on me again! Naruto! Don't you walk out of that door!" Gaara followed the blond as he walked through the apartment and held his hand on the door handle of the of the front door.

"Don't walk away from me," Gaara threatened before Naruto opened the door and walked out. "Naruto! Don't you run from me now!" He almost screeched from the doorstep as he watched the blond walk down the stairs.

"FINE! Fuck you!" A stream of unstructured name calling and profanity were spat into the hallway until the final door was closed and footsteps faded from the building.

With a hard pull, Gaara slammed the door shut and he stomped through the house. Once back in the kitchen he lit a cigarette and glared at the plywood surface.

"Gaara...what happened?" Kankuro carefully inched into the kitchen and placed an hand on the table.

"We had a fucking party to celebrate our love child," Gaara spat as he exhaled a cloud of smoke. His fingers nearly crushed the poor filter as they tensed up with the words.

Kankuro flinched at the words before a nervous laugh escaped him. When Gaara glared at him he sat down at the table as well and watched his little brother suck the life out of a cigarette before he lit another one. Kankuro too grabbed one as well.

Gaara rested an elbow on the table and dropped his head into his hand before he exhaled deeply. "Oh god, I've ruined it,"

"Gaara..." Kankuro reached over the tiny dinner table and let his hand brush through the soft hair. "Oh Gaara..." He sighed as the younger man started sobbing in his hands.

"Hell! goddamn me to hell!" The redhead choked out between his sobs. "I've fucked up so bad!"

* * *

Naruto threw his pushbike against the wall once he got off and nearly ripped the lock out when he tried to lock it. "Fuck me dead!" He yelled when he fiddled with the mechanics. Finally he managed to get lock his bicycle and with an angry huff he opened the door before he slammed it shut again. He wanted to shout, scream, kick, start a fight, anything and he kicked his shoes off before he dropped down on the bed. With an ungraceful flop he rolled to his stomach and screamed into his pillow. As his throat grew sore, the muffled screams fell silent and instead he was now halfway to trying to suffocate himself. He pulled his head away from the pillow when his body begged him for oxygen and he rolled to his back where he stared blankly at the ceiling.

He knew. He had always known and now he was kicking himself for letting things escalate like this. Again he pulled the pillow over his head and realised the exact point he had decided to fuck himself up the arse. It had dawned on Naruto, that maybe, Gaara was right and he should've handled this better. His gut twisted up in nausea when he thought about the whole situation. He stared at his phone before he picked it up and scrolled through his contact list. Once on Gaara's number he stopped and stared at it. Again a wave of nausea washed over him and he sighed deeply. Quickly he put his phone away and closed his eyes as the clock ticked the time away.

* * *

"I'm so sorry to hear you and Naruto had a fight," Temari wrapped her arms around the younger man a little tighter before she nuzzled into his red hair. "You can stay as long as you like," she finished as she pulled away and gave him a soft smile.

"Thank you," he softly mumbled in reply and looked back to the shoulder bag he had tossed in the corner.

"Shikanaru made the guest room ready and you know where everything is if you need something, dinner is in an hour," she informed and stepped away from the redhead.

Gaara nodded faintly at her before he picked up the sports bag and dragged it towards the empty room. With a sigh he sat down on the bed and dropped his weight back. He fished his phone from his pocket and with a pained look he scrolled through the torrent of messages send by Naruto.

 **From: Naruto**

 _Gaara, you aren't answering your phone, just return my call okay?_

 **From: Naruto**

 _Come on man! I'm sorry I shouted at you, can we just be friends again?_

 **From: Naruto**

 _Okay, you're ignoring me. Fine. I just really wanted to talk but I see that's not going to happen any time soon._

 **From: Naruto**

 _I'm sorry alright! Please don't block me out like that! I know you're reading these!_

 **From: Naruto**

 _Fine, have it your way. Just, text me when you feel like talking, cool?_

Next to that his phone was still trying to count the ignored calls from Naruto's number. He let his hand with his phone loosely held in it drop to the side of the bed and curled up into a little ball.

"Goddamn me to hell," he softly exhaled and squeezed his eyes shut.

* * *

so! Wooh! Next chapter, I've already started writing the new one but I've been sick lately and unfortunately the fever has me kinda off the planet ;^; I'm doing my best, honestly! To anyone who's reading this. Once more feel free to review!


	9. Chapter Eight For bitter or worst

Baaaah! I'm so sorry about the delay of chapters! I've been...occupied at best. So it's been my 21th, I've managed to establish a relationship and I've been back and forth between home, friends and boyfriend. Anyhow, please enjoy, I worked hard on this.

* * *

It wasn't the faint banging noise from the other room that bothered him. It also weren't the noises he knew came from his sister and he also knew would haunt him for life. It wasn't the fact that he had actually managed to fall asleep at a reasonable time and they had woken him up. It were the nightmares that had been haunting him, the emptiness he felt afterwards and the feeling that he was back at square one. Of course all of the above weren't helping. With a loud sigh he slipped out of the bed and pulled his coat over his shoulders. He slipped through the dark house and out onto the balcony and leaned over the rail and looked up to the night skies where the moon lit his surroundings just enough. From his pocket he fished a joint in a plastic case and lit it. He closed his eyes and counted seconds before he exhaled a cloud of smoke. Again he jabbed his hand into his pocket. Gaara pulled his phone and read through Naruto's texts once more. He bit at his lower lip and sighed loudly through his nose. He took another drag and again counted the seconds before he slowly exhaled. His thumb hovered over the little green button and his eyes remained fixated on the name that was written on the bright screen. Quickly he pressed the screen lock button and shoved the device back into his pocket. With a deep breath he in and exhaled the strange suburban air.

He closed his eyes and realised the noise had stopped. He looked back through the window but his feet still felt frozen on the spot. With a sigh he leaned back over the window again and closed his eyes. He perked up when the slide door opened and he nearly choked on his own breath.

"Woah, calm down! Jeez," Shikamaru waved his hands down in a calming sort of fashion.

"Fuck! you startled me!" Gaara hissed as he spun around and held his still rapidly beating heart.

A small amused snort escaped the man and he moved towards the edge of the balcony. "I'd say something on how weed gets you paranoid, but I think you already got that much," he joked in a cork dry manner as he took the cigarette from behind his ear and Gaara handed him a lighter from his pocket.

"Couldn't sleep?" He needlessly asked as he handed the lighter back to the redhead.

Gaara shrugged and took a last long drag. "Insomnia is still alive and kicking," he said in a choked manner before he exhaled the smoke.

"I thought it was getting better," Shikamaru arched a brow.

With another shrug, Gaara wrapped his coat tighter around his body and hummed. "I've been getting about six hours of sleep on good days, but mostly I'm still around four or two if it's really bad," he sighed. "Outside influences aren't helping either," he calmly added.

"Ah," was Shikamaru's only verbal response. "Sorry about that," he added.

Gaara didn't reply and just stared out into the full moon while a cold nostalgic feeling washed over him. From the corner of his eyes he saw Shikamaru finish his cigarette before he pressed it into the plastic ashtray.

"Good night," Shikamaru said as he left the balcony.

"Good night."

* * *

"Good morning, did you get any sleep last night?" Temari sat in her bathrobe next to the couch and patted her little brother's red hair.

Gaara ripped his eyes loose from the telly and he looked up to her instead. A wry smile tugged his lips and he shook his head. "No, I haven't been getting much sleep lately," he informed and a pained look tied Temari's eyebrows together.

"I'm so sorry about that," she sighed and pressed a kiss against the kanji on his forehead as she had done a million times before. "Would you like anything for breakfast?" She asked through an hopeful smile as she stood up straight again.

With a small huff the redhead pushed himself upright and sat on the couch instead. A thoughtful frown plagued his face before he shook his head. "I'll make myself something," he replied.

A concerned look fitted into her features, "only if you're going to eat with us," she crossed her arms over her chest.

Gaara's lips disappeared into a thin line and his eyes narrowed. "Fine, tell Shikamaru that I want some eggs," he gave in and hung his head.

An almost relieved look washed over the blonde and she watched the redhead lay down on the couch again. "I'll do," she said and walked off.

The next person to walk into the living room was Shikamaru. The hair that was usually up in a tight ponytail hang loosely around his face and was occasionally brushed behind an ear with great annoyance. Moist prints were left with every step he took and the collar of his shirt was sprinkled in droplets that trailed down the dark hair. Without thinking he picked up the apron and readied a frying pan. From the fridge followed bacon, bread, butter and eggs. Gaara pulled his face away from a half awake in-law and rolled back to his side where he watched people struggle to do the most mundane of things in an infomercial.

Much faster than Gaara had noticed the table was set, food was made and Temari was completely dressed and ready for work. With a small sigh the redhead hoisted himself out of the couch and walked over to the table where everyone was waiting for him. On a plate at his spot laid toast and a small portion of scrambled eggs. Gaara buttered the toast and started scooping the egg atop his bread while Temari read out some paper work. Her voice slowly turned to white noise when legal language took over her speech. As he found was routine, Temari finished her breakfast first and gave both men a kiss before she left the house. Shikamaru pulled out his laptop from under the table and pushed his plate aside to make room while Gaara aimlessly dug his fork through his eggs.

"Did you catch anything of what she said?" Shikamaru asked while his fingers started typing away.

The redhead looked up from his plate and looked around. "Uhm...no" he finally admitted.

Shikamaru held his fingers and looked over the laptop. "She's off to a convergence, she'll be gone for a few days this weekend, which means that I'm having a film night with some friends," he informed. "Do you want to be a part of that?"

A small frown worked his way into Gaara's features before he shrugged. "Nah, I think I'll go back home," he said and laid his fork down.

Shikamaru looked down to the plate and frowned at the bread that had a few courtesy bites taken out of it. "How come?"

Gaara shrugged and leaned back into his chair. "I'd say that I feel better, but I figure you already know that's not true," he started and loosely crossed his arms over his chest. "But I've been here for over two weeks, I figured that it's probably my time to leave," he cocked his head a little to the side.

"You're not such a bother" he shrugged. "You do realise we don't mind if you stay a little longer, right?" Shikamaru narrowed his eyes a little before he too leaned back into his chair.

Gaara hummed and looked back to the plate. "I know, but..." He drifted off and fell silent for a moment. "You reckon social interaction would be good for me?" He asked and looked back over to his in-law.

Again Shikamaru shrugged, "it usually is for people that suffer from depressive episodes," he simply stated.

"I suppose I'll stay around for this weekend than," Gaara sighed and picked up his fork again.

* * *

It was a buzz in his pocket that startled him and hand Naruto instantly op straight from his slouchy position. Quickly he fished the small device from his pocket and answered the phone.

"Y'ello, Naruto," he grinned as he answered the phone.

"Hey, cockbreath!" Kiba replied with the same amount of cheer.

From the other end of the couch, Sasuke sat up straight and arched an eyebrow at the blond while he laid his controller down.

"So, what's the plan?" Naruto asked as he looked at Sasuke from the corner of his eyes and stuck his tongue out to which Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Are we going out this weekend?"

"Nah, no can do" the other man replied and Naruto frowned a little.

"Why not?" He curiously asked.

Some rustling was heard on the other end of the line and a whispered cuss followed from a foreign voice. "Temari is going to be out of town next weekend I've heard," he calmly informed.

Naruto rested back into the couch and hummed. "Really? Shikamaru hasn't called me,"

"No? Ah, weird, you wanna tag along?" Kiba half asked.

"Yeah, sure, who's car are we taking?" The blond leaned forwards again and rested his elbows atop his legs.

"Choji, he's going by car, and I'm joining," he informed and more rustling was heard followed by an half hearted bark in the background.

"Yeah, sure, I'll gotta work until four-thirty so..." He tapped his fingers on his lap, "I'll be at yours at five or so," he said as he looked at the clock.

"Nice, I'll see ya soon!"

"See ya Friday!"

* * *

"Shikamaru! Where's the ashtray?!" Gaara called from the kitchen. The door had closed all but five seconds ago and Temari's perfume still lingered in the air.

"Isn't it in the usual spot?!" Shikamaru replied from the master bedroom.

"No! It's not there!" Gaara stood up straight and turned to face the hallway. "Should I just take one from outside?" He asked and placed his hand on his hip.

"Yeah, that'll do!" The other man called back and with a soft huff Gaara made a face.

He turned to the balcony and opened the slide doors and picked up a moist ashtray from a little table. A cold wind made him shiver and quickly he turned around so he could rush back into the house. The slide door was quickly pushed into the lock again and with a tea towel, Gaara dried off the bottom before he placed it on the glass surface of the coffee table. With a huff he dropped into the couch and fished a packet of cigarettes from his pocket. From that he picked a half smoked joint and quickly lit it.

"You know," Shikamaru said as he strolled back into the living room. "I've really noticed an increase in how much you've been smoking in the last few months," he finished.

"I'm not addicted," Gaara shot and quickly looked up.

Shikamaru raised his hands in defence. "I never said you were," he simply said and sat down next to the redhead. "And if so, judging people is too much of a bother," he shrugged.

With a sigh Gaara looked down and hummed. "You don't think I should get back on my meds?" He asked and looked back to his in law from the corner of his eyes.

Shikamaru shrugged. "Do you?" He asked as he leaned back into the couch and places his feet atop the coffee table.

"I'd rather not," Gaara honestly replied

Shikamaru arched an eyebrow before he shrugged it off and sat up straight instead. "Alright well, how's your mood been lately?"

"Fairly stable considering the circumstances, it's not that bad for a comedown," Gaara made a face and bit his lower lip. "I've honestly been having trouble getting up and doing things though,"

Shikamaru nodded and counted on his fingers before he continued again "Any anger or anxiety attacks?"

"I've been on the verge of a panic attack last month but Kankuro helped calm me down," He said as he took another long drag.

"How's sleep?" Shikamaru finally asked as he tapped his ring-finger.

"The pot helps me better than the melatonin did," Gaara shrugged before he frowned. "I holding up pretty well on this, aren't I?" He half asked Shikamaru.

He smiled faintly before he shrugged his shoulders, "you tell me," Shikamaru said before he leaned forwards and picked up a cigarette for himself.

A small silence fell between the two men before Gaara looked up again. "What time are you expecting your friends?" He asked and played with the fabric of his sandy coloured gypsy pants.

"Any minute now," Shikamaru said as he looked at his watch.

It was maybe fifteen minutes later when the bell rang and with a soft grunt Shikamaru got up to buzz in the people waiting at the bottom of the building. "Can you put the pizza in the oven?" Shikamaru asked over his shoulder before he unlocked the door.

"Already on it," Gaara said from behind the counter and kneeled down in front of the oven with a defrosted pizza on a tray. He was welcomed by a wave of hot air as he opened the little door behind the kitchen island. Voices quickly grew louder and Gaara made no haste to put two pizza's into the oven when he heard people enter the house.

"Hey! Pussybreath!" Kiba was first to enter.

"I brought two new movies!" Choji followed.

"Yo! What's this about not calling me?!"

Gaara nearly burned himself when he recognised Naruto's voice and his heart skipped a beat.

"Yeah, I figured you forgot to invite him so I did it instead," Kiba stuck his tongue out.

The corners of Shikamaru's mouth pulled back and he shoved his hands into the pockets of his sweat pants. "I didn't forget," he deadpanned. "I didn't invite him with a reason," he calmly said.

"What?!" Naruto's inched back and his eyes widened. "why?! I thought you of all people would still be cool!" Naruto cried out and raised his hand slightly.

Quickly Gaara closed the oven and stood up straight. "I uhm..." He cleared his throat and shoved his hands into his pockets. "I asked him not to," the redhead raised a hand and quickly looked down again when he noticed that everyone was looking at him.

"Well, since Naruto is already here, might as well stay right?" Kiba shrugged.

Both Shikamaru and Naruto looked over to the redhead and Gaara brushed his foot over a floor that was so clean, he could see his torn expression.

"Yeah, I mean...it would be kinda a dick move to send you home now," he finally answered and his face heated up.

Choji slowly inched to the couch and exhaled loudly in relief. "Oh good, I really don't feel like driving back," he looked at Naruto before back his eyes moved to Shikamaru.

"At least there'd be some fucking pizza left," Kiba grinned and gained a glare from the other brunet.

"I'm...I'm just gonna..." Gaara stammered as he slipped off into the guest room. Quickly he closed and locked the door before he dropped down into his bed. With a muffled groan he curled up into a ball and enjoyed the sweet isolation his anxiety had him crave. In the background he could hear voices in the living room bicker and argue which he silenced by use of earphones and music. Slowly he could hear the voices fade and instead he heard music of a different kind. Much to his dismay, Gaara couldn't fall asleep and laid on the bed alone with thoughts in which he dwelled. He has toyed with the idea of going to the living room nevertheless but he couldn't get his body to physically move. His body tensed when he heard the door handle click and quickly he closed his eyes.

"I know for a fact you're not asleep," he could hear Naruto's voice from the open door. The sound of the film cleared up for a second and ebbed into the room until the door was closed again.

"It was worth a try," Gaara sighed but refused to open his eyes.

"I brought you some pizza, in case you're hungry," the blond shrugged and walked towards the bed. He placed the plate on the nightstand and remained on the spot where he shifted his weight back and forth.

"I can feel you rocking," Gaara cringed through still closed eyes.

"Well, wacha gonna do about it?" Naruto crossed his arms over his chest and finally Gaara opened his eyes.

"Wait for you to leave," he deadpanned before he rolled over to his other side.

Naruto's hands balled into fists and the corners of his mouth pulled back. "You're a dick, you know that?!" His voice came out raised and louder than he had intended.

Instantly, Gaara shot up and glared at the blond. "I'm a dick?!" He replied only a little softer. "How?!" He demanded.

"Cause you made me pinky swear to be your fucking friend, and then you tell me we can't be friends anymore!" Naruto jabbed his finger into Gaara's direction.

"And you honestly thought that we would maintain our friendship until we die?!" Gaara shook his head in disbelief.

The finger dropped and Naruto's eyes met the ground. "I..." He started, "Yes, I thought we'd be friends for ever," He bit his lower lip to keep more words from spilling. "And I hate the way you've emotionally blackmailed me! That's a twat move!" He added and glared at Gaara again.

Gaara's gut twisted into a knot and he bit his lower lip as well. "I didn't emotionally blackmail you," he tried.

"Yeah you did!" Naruto snarled. "And you know what?! I've actually considered dating you, but I don't want to knowing I've fucked myself out of one of my dearest friendships," he finished.

Teal eyes widened and the corners of Gaara's mouth pulled back. "Why..." He stopped when he realised his voice broke and he took a deep breath, "Why didn't you tell me you did?!" He finally managed to get out in a hushed manner.

"I don't know okay?! I... I was hoping... That... That things would... I dunno... just figure themselves out," he searched for words in lack of an actual reason.

"Goddamnit! You oaf!" Gaara threw himself at the blond who effectively caught him. Half heartedly he punched Naruto's chest with the side of his fists. Slowly his movements came to a hold and he pushed his face into the crevice between Naruto's neck and shoulder. "I don't want to continue this," he sighed and closed his eyes and he sank into flesh in a way that felt nothing short from natural. "I've missed you so much," Gaara choked out. "I don't want to miss you anymore!" He started with a sob.

"I don't want to miss you anymore either," Naruto softly replied and held the redhead closer. "Can't we just go back to the way things were?" He pressed his mouth against Gaara's neck and asked the pale skin.

The redhead shook his head. "I can't, Naruto, the way things were isn't enough for me," he pulled his face out of Naruto's shoulder and looked at the blond with puffy red eyes. "If we can't do this, I'm going to need a lot of time, it's not personal but I can't be around you anymore and pretend I'm not in pain," he rasped before he bit his lip again.

"But what if we do this, and we break up, what will happen," Naruto asked as he wiped away some tears from Gaara's pale cheeks.

His eyes tore away from blue ones and he sighed. "I..." He scraped his throat again. "I don't know, I'm guessing the same," Gaara shrugged.

Naruto let go of the other man and sat down on the bed while the redhead quickly followed. Gaara placed his feet on the ground and his hands on his lap as he waited for Naruto's response. A thoughtful frown pulled blond brows together before he looked back at Gaara.

"I guess, having know love and loss is better than nothing at all, right?" He finally said.

Gaara frowned a little and cocked his head to the side. "I'm not quite sure what you mean," He softly said.

A tan hand was placed on Gaara's leg and squeezed the boney limb. "I'm saying that if it's going to end like this either way, I rather have given us a shot," he clarified. "You mean a lot to me, you know that, right?"

A smile bloomed into Gaara's lips before he quickly and rapidly nodded. "I do," he whispered.

With a soft huff Naruto got up and smiled at the redhead who looked at him with wide eyes. He held his hand out and squeezed tightly when a pale hand laid in his.

"Do you want to come with?"

Quickly Gaara nodded and slowly leaned forward before he pressed his lips up against Naruto.

"Yeah, I do,"

* * *

Alright! So it's not the end of the story quite yet! I'm writing as quickly as I can to get the last few chapters. Thank you for sticking with me ;3;


	10. Outro

"And that's how it ends!" Naruto happily exclaimed.

The group looked at him with mixed expressions and Sasuke was the first to open his mouth.

"Naruto! What the fuck?! I don't hate my brother! My parents aren't dead!" He pointed his finger at the blond in a brief fit.

"But this way you have an excuse for being a brooding motherfucker!" Naruto exclaimed in his defence as he held on to the stack of papers.

"Isn't Mr. Orochimaru your old neighbour?" Sakura frowned in confusion.

"Why is he so obsessed with Sasuke, Jesus, Naruto, what's wrong with you?" Ino leaned in and frowned at the pages.

"You know this entire story is kind of obsessed with me," Sasuke shrugged.

"Who cares! Me and Akamaru are like a cool ninja dog duo!" Kiba grinned broadly. "I mean he even managed to make Kankuro look cool!" He continued.

"Hey! I am cool!" Kankuro softly punched the younger man.

"Pfft, when you were in high school maybe," Kiba waved his hand dismissively.

"Why do I have to die?!" Neji ripped the pages out of Naruto's hands and flipped through them.

"Because you're a dick," Naruto stuck his tongue out before he was quickly slapped on the top of his head and he bit his tongue.

Quickly Gaara came to his aid while he whined in agony. "Ish mah tongue bleeding?" He asked while he tried to look at the muscle.

"It's fine Naruto," he softly said.

"Why are we all like twelve to sixteen years old?" Hinata softly asked as she looked over Neji's shoulder.

"Because I miss the days we were young, alright?!" He huffed and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Why am I the only ninja without cool powers?" Lee halfheartedly whined.

"You don't need superpowers to be cool honey," Sakura pressed a kiss against his cheek and she turned to Naruto again. "Why don't I have any cool super powers for the first half of the story?!" She hissed as she faced him.

"Because you're not that cool," Ino smirked broadly.

"At least I don't have some useless power when I get mine!" Sakura hissed back.

"Lee, I'm honestly really sorry about what happened," Gaara softly said from behind his boyfriend.

"No bother!" He gave a thumbs up. "You know I've forgiven you a long time ago," he said and leaned before he patted Gaara on the shoulder.

"Wasn't Deidara one of your Psychologists, Gaara?" Kankuro cocked his head to the side and pushed his way into the mob.

"He was our Family therapist," Gaara calmly replied and inched a little closer as well.

"Okay, I get most of these, but why is Tsunade the mayor of the city we live in, she's my kickboxing trainer," Sakura looked up with a confused look on her face.

"Better yet, why is every single mayor constantly following you, there's all this ninja shit going on and they're following a tween around," Sasuke arched a sceptic brow at his friend.

"I'm important okay! I have a demon sealed inside of me!" Naruto cried out.

"You're an adult with ADD!" Sasuke raised his hands in disbelieve.

"You're important to me," Gaara softly smiled.

"See! Gaara thinks I'm important!" Naruto pointed at the man besides him.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, "what ever," he huffed and crossed his arms over his chest.

The noise of a knock at the door caused everyone to look up and quickly Sakura got up to open the door to her apartment. A bright smile curled into her lips when she was greeted by tanned skin and brunette buns.

"Tenten!" She exclaimed and welcomed the girl into her house.

"Hey guys! Guess who's back from China!" He smiled and stepped into the apartment. "What's going on?" She cocked her head to the side when she noticed people bicker over a stack of papers.

 _End._

* * *

Aaaaaaaaaghhhhhhhh! Thank you all so much! ;3; this is the end of it! I might post some smutty deleted scenes later as little one-shots and I hope to start up my new project soon!

I love you guys!

once more, feel free to critique and leave reviews! I'd love to see a full review of this :3


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